By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .
FORMER councilor President Elipe took a big step backwards in his bid to become a member of Misamis Oriental’s legislature as a result of his court conviction for graft and falsification of public documents.
This was the shared view of two former Cagayan de Oro vice mayors yesterday following the release of the Sandiganbayan’s decision that found Elipe and his sister Pristine Quizon guilty of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and falsification under Article 171, paragraph 4 of the Revised Penal Code.
The 15-page anti-graft court ruling slapped the siblings to a maximum imprisonment sentence of 18 years — 10 years for graft and another eight years for falsification of public documents. For each of the offenses, they were also disqualified to hold public office for life.
Lawyers and former vice mayors Antonio Soriano and Erasmo Damasing Jr. said the court conviction would most likely make President Duterte trash the Padayon Pilipino’s nomination of Elipe to the position of Sangguniang Panlalawigan member.
Padayon Pilipino’s top leaders have asked Duterte to appoint Elipe as the replacement of the late provincial board member Mario Emano.
Soriano said it would not be wise for Duterte, who has repeatedly warned against corruption in government, to sign Elipe’s appointment papers given his conviction by an anti-graft court.
“Depende gyud ni sa Presidente although dili pa man final kana nga decision. But na-a naman kana. Kon ako ang Presidente, dili na nako na siya i-appoint,” Soriano told the Gold Star Daily.
Ex-congressman Damasing, also a lawyer and former vice mayor, said Elipe would likely bring the case to the Court of Appeals all the way to the Supreme Court in the hope of reversing the Sandiganbayan decision.
He pointed out that the Sandiganbayan’s ruling is not final and executory.
But Damasing said Elipe’s possible appointment to the provincial board would leave a bad taste in the mouth of the public, and would undermine Duterte’s perceived anti-graft crusade.
He said the anti-graft court’s decision has somehow hurt the ex-councilor’s reputation.
“La-in na paminawon sa publiko nga i-appoint pa si Elipe ni President Duterte ang usa konbiktado sa kasong kriminal,” said Damasing. “Kon ako ang Presidente, for delicadeza proposes ug tungod sa katarongtan nga konbiktado na siya (Elipe) even if dili pa final ang decision, para kanano duna na siyay balana. Dili maayo tan-awon sa publiko nga ang usa ka convicted itudlo sa usa ka public position.”
The Elipe siblings were charged before the Sandiganbayan in September 2016 with conspiracy to take advantage of their official functions to allow the councilor’s sister to collect her salary for the period of Oct. 25 to Oct. 30, 2013 based on a falsified daily time record. Elipe was a councilor at that time while his sister Quizon served as his secretary.
While the DTR showed that Quizon reported for work, documents from the Bureau of Immigration showed she was out of the country from Oct. 25 to Oct. 30, 2013.
The Fourth Division of the Sandiganbayan stated that the conspiracy was “properly established” even as it pointed out that Elipe “aided” Quizon “to be paid and unduly receive her salary.” The amount involved was only some P1,894.08.
Associate Justices Reynaldo Cruz, Alex Quiroz and Bayani Jacinto rejected the siblings’ “flexi-time” defense as they found the former councilor and his sister guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violation of the anti-graft law and falsification of public documents. For falsification, they were also slapped with a P5-thousand fine.
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