The Sandiganbayan has acquitted former Bayambang, Pangasinan mayor Ricardo M. Camacho and businessman Willy L. Chua of graft charges arising from a controversial 2013 land swap deal involving a government school site, according to the Facebook’s post of writer Janice Hidalgo.
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| BAYAMBANG former Mayor Ricardo Camacho (top photo) and his successor ex-mayor Cezar Quiambao (left photo) |
In a 98-page decision of the People of the Philippines versus Ricardo Camacho, et al (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act)., the anti-graft court said prosecutors failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt. The case stemmed from the exchange of a 31,650-sqm government lot worth ₱25.32 million with Chua’s 20,581-sqm property valued at ₱16.5 million.
The justices noted that while the transaction was
irregular—since bartering with a private individual is not a valid mode of
disposing public land—the charge sheets only cited the disparity in property
values and not other violations such as the lack of Commission on Audit (COA)
approval. Convicting Camacho and Chua on those grounds, the court stressed,
would violate their constitutional right to be informed of the exact charges.
The decision was penned by Associate Justice Sarah Jane T. Fernandez of the Sixth Division, with Justices Kevin Narce B. Vivero and Karl B. Miranda concurring.
TIMELINE OF THE CONTROVERSY
The case has dragged on for more than a decade.
Here’s a summary of key events:
November 2014 – The controversy first erupted when a
PTA president lodged a complaint before the Ombudsman, accusing Camacho of
gross negligence and forcing the transfer of the Bayambang Central School site
without Department of Education approval. The complaint alleged the government
property, worth around ₱620 million, was exchanged for land valued at only ₱150
million.
2022 – Reports of Camacho’s arrest surfaced, which
he denied. He argued the land swap contract had not passed public bidding or
approval by the municipal council.
March 2023 – The court also rejected earlier motions
to quash the charges, which were filed by the Ombudsman in 2022. Camacho
insisted the case was politically motivated and blamed it for his failed
mayoral bids in 2019 and 2022.
May 2024 – The Sandiganbayan denied motions by
Camacho and Chua to dismiss the graft charges, ruling that granting them would
only delay trial proceedings. Camacho claimed no injury to the municipality,
but prosecutors argued the government property was worth more per square meter.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT (LGU) BAYAMBANG
REACTS
“The Municipality of Bayambang has not yet received
a copy of the Sandiganbayan Decision as of the moment.
Based on the post, the Sandiganbayan found
irregularity on the land swapping that transpired during the administration of
former mayor Camacho. Accordingly, however, the information or charge sheet
filed was insufficient as it only included the disparity in the values of the
properties exchanged.
For the record, the charge sheet mentioned in the
post refers to the information that was filed by the Ombudsman and the same was
based on the contents of the complaint commenced by the Municipality of
Bayambang. The complaint submitted by the Municipality definitely included the
allegation of lack of COA approval on the land swap issue, among others.
More importantly, it must be emphasized that even
before the case was submitted for decision, precisely immediately after the
prosecution rested its case, a court-approved Compromise Agreement and an
Affidavit of Desistance were entered into between the Municipality and the
concerned parties--Mr. Camacho and Mr. Chua. In accord with the stipulations in
the Compromise Agreement, the Municipality executed an Affidavit of Desistance
in favor of Mr. Camacho and Mr. Chua essentially expressing the intention of
Municipality not to proceed anymore with the prosecution of the Sandiganbayan
case and of the other pending cases against them. Both the Compromise Agreement
and the Affidavit of Desistance were submitted to Sandiganbayan.
The Municipality of Bayambang respects the decision
of Sandiganbayan. Nonetheless, for a complete factual background, perspective,
and transparency for an informed public opinion, this statement is issued.”
- LGU-Bayambang
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