By LITO RULONA and JOEY NACALABAN
Correspondents .
FORMER councilor President Elipe broke his silence on Saturday, appealing to emotions as he broke down and admitted being hurt by the Sandiganbayan decision this month that found him guilty of two crimes.
Elipe lost control of his emotions. He cried on air during his “Ang Baruganan” program even as he blamed media that he said sensationalized the story about his and his sister Pristine Quizon’s conviction for graft and falsification of a public document.
The siblings however may still opt to appeal their cases and prove the Sandiganbayan wrong before the higher courts.
Elipe took offense in the newspaper coverage of the story about the Sandiganbayan decision and the series of news reports that were published. He also cried foul over the on-air comments.
“I am requesting my friends in the media — please, ayaw na ninyo’g balik-balika ang isyu. Naa naman na diha ang kaso. Give me justice,” Elipe said.
Elipe said he understands the media work of informing people but he cried foul over the “sensational manner” his conviction has been reported. It was unclear what he meant with “sensational.”
He said, “Tinuod kini nga kaso ug dili kini fake news batok sa akong manghud nga si Pristine Quizon og batok pud kanako. Apan subra kaayo ang pagpagawas niini sa atong mga amigo sa media. Gi-apil pud akong igsoon ug inahan sa issue.”
The former councilor did not elaborate how his mother was dragged into the media coverage about the Sandiganbayan ruling.
He said he and his family, including his mother, were subjected to “trial by publicity.”
The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan concluded this month the trial of the two Elipe siblings with a guilty verdict and a sentence.
Elipe is the first former councilor here who was convicted in two criminal cases by the anti-graft court. He and his sister, who served as his secretary when he was a councilor, were sentenced to a maximum of 18 years of imprisonment, barred from holding public office for life and slapped with a P5-thousand fine — all for faking a daily time record (DTR) so a measly P1,894.08-wage for a period of less than a week could be collected from city hall.
Elipe admitted that there was a mistake in his sister’s DTR. “Nasipyat lang pagsulat sa DTR kay wala mabutang atol sa iyang pag-biyahe og naa gani gi-applayan nga ‘flexi-time’ as my confidential secretary. Wala pa kini mahuman nga kaso but I and my family were victims of trial by publicity,” he said.
He said “flexi-time,” a mechanism that allows government workers to get paid even when they do not report for work on certain days to compensate for hours of overtime work, is still being practiced in city hall.
Reporters have been asking to interview Elipe since last week but the ex-councilor said he intentionally avoided media because he was very affected by the court decision.
“Mangayo ako og pasaylo sa akong mga amigo sa media,” he said.
Elipe said he was hurt because he had thought that he was able to clearly explain what happened even before the ombudsman brought the cases against him to the Sandiganbayan.
He also blamed “politics,” saying that the complainant, former city administrator Dionnie Gersana, was merely following orders.
Elipe mentioned no names but he was apparently taking swipes at Mayor Oscar Moreno and city administrator Teodoro Sabuga-a for their pronouncements last week about his conviction for two crimes.
“From the very start, klaro kaayo nga kini nga isyu is politika lang,” said Elipe, adding that he and his sister were singled out.
“I don’t blame Gersana kay gisugo ra man kini siya. Dili ako maghipokrito. Apektado ako, akong asawa, akong mga igsoon, akong inahan, ilabi na gayud ang akong pamilya. Mahimo pa daw kini nga leksyon,” Elipe said.
Elipe paused for a moment, lost control of his emotions, and burst into tears.
He said his worried mother kept on calling him on the phone just to check on how he was.
“Ako ra unta inyong hilabtan ayaw na iapil akong igsoon. Akong mama apektado na kaayo. Gihilabtan na ninyo akong personal, pati na akong negosyo. Ayaw ko ninyo’g palabii,” Elipe said.
He said the cases were meant to keep him silent, and because he has been exposing alleged anomalies in the local government.
Elipe said many people in city hall were afraid of his exposés, a crusade which he vowed to continue.
He broke into tears again as he read a friend’s text message that expressed support for him.
He added: “Matud ninyo, justice is done tungod kay dili ninyu gusto ang akong pagka-sabaan sa kamatuoran. Unsay sakit kay apilon akong pamilya og ubang member niini sa maong issue.”
The siblings were tried at the Sandiganbayan for conspiring to take advantage of their official functions to allow the Elipe’s sister to collect her wage for the period of Oct. 25 to Oct. 30, 2013 based on a falsified daily time record.
While Quizon’s DTR showed that she reported for work, documents from the Bureau of Immigration showed that she was in China during the same period.
Elipe was convicted by the 4th Division of the Sandiganbayan because he signed his sister’s DTR, a conspiracy which the court said was “properly established.”
The court stated that Elipe “aided” Quizon “to be paid and unduly receive her salary.”
The decision was signed by Associate Justices Reynaldo Cruz, Alex Quiroz and Bayani Jacinto.
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