The destruction of Mayor Locsin

By Alex P. Vidal

“The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.” – Henrik Ibsen

 

NO politician in Iloilo has suffered so much humiliation like Frankie Locsin, former mayor of Janiuay, a first class municipality in the third district of Iloilo Province.

While there’s pandemic, he was flown to the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City on January 11 to serve a jail term for graft and corruption.

Political observers in Iloilo described Locsin’s predicament as a “total destruction” politically and otherwise.

In fact, Locsin’s case is unique considering that he is one of the most popular and influential mayors outside Metro Manila based on his past associations with several national political figures, many of whom are still in power until today.

He is also very popular among some Iloilo media men who always graced important events in Janiuay during his heyday if they were not with him in the coffeeshops in the mall in Iloilo City.

After being convicted and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment by the Sandiganbayan together with four other municipal officials and a private individual in the municipality’s anomalous medicine purchases using PHP15-million from now Senate President Vicente Sotto’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) way back in 2001, Locsin is now serving his jail term together with the country’s hardened criminals in the Bilibid.

His transfer was confirmed by Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, about 18 months after he was arrested inside the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Regional Office when he tried to get a clearance for his gun.

 

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The former mayor had been under hospital arrest after suffering from hypertension when he was nabbed on June 19, 2019.

While under the custody of the authorities prior to his transfer to Muntinlupa City, some of Locsin’s former political allies reportedly abandoned him.

Some of these political allies probably thought Locsin, highly respected by his peers in the League of Municipalities-Iloilo Chapter, was no longer of use to them as he has been disqualified “perpetually” from public office.

The Sandiganbayan that convicted Locsin, et al is mandated “to give life and meaning to the constitutional precept that a public office is a public trust and to impress upon public officers and employees that they are at all times accountable to the people with their duty to serve with the highest degree of responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency.”

The Sandiganbayan “carries out this objective by conducting expeditious trials of criminal and civil cases involving offenses committed by public officers and employees, including those employed in government-owned or controlled corporations.”

 

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The conviction by the Sandiganbayan First Division of Locsin, accountant Carlos Moreno Jr., budget officer Ramon Tirador, treasurer Luzviminda Figueroa, Ricardo Minurtio, and businessman Rodrigo Villanueva carried a penalty of imprisonment from six to 10 years aside from forfeiture of benefits and perpetual disqualification from public office.

The medical supply contract was reportedly awarded to an unqualified supplier with suspended accreditation from the Department of Health (DOH).

The Office of the Ombudsman investigated the medicine purchases. There was supposedly a bidding on January 15, 2001, with three participants – AM Europharma Corp., Mallix Drug Center and Philpharmawealth Corp, which denied participating in such a bidding.

The Ombudsman also reportedly took note of the apparent haste in the process. A PHP1.7-million purchase contract was awarded to Mallix Drug Center while AM Europharma was awarded with a PHP13.1-million contract.

Locsin approved the contracts, the Ombudsman said, and the medicines were immediately delivered the following day, January 16, 2001.

The preponderance of evidence clearly illustrated the presence of a conspiracy as stated by the court decision, to wit: “The Court finds…conspiracy between accused public officials (and) members of the municipal Committee on Awards of Janiuay… as shown by their respective signatures in the Minutes of Meetings which awarded the subject procurement of medicines in favor of AM Europharma and Mallix Drug Center… (this) gave undue advantage to accused Rodrigo Villanueva, owner and proprietor of said companies.”

Penned by Associate Justice Rodolfo Ponferrada and concurred by First Division Chairman Efren dela Cruz and Associate Justice Rafael Lagos, the 34-page decision was dated February 23, 2015.

 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)