2 CamNor ex-officials sentenced to jail term

The Sandiganbayan has found a former governor of Camarines Norte and his General Services Office (GSO) chief guilty of falsification of public documents in order to hide the rigged bidding in the purchase of medicines in 2005. They will both serve up to eight years in jail.

After four years of trial, the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) secured the conviction of former Governor Jesus Typoco, Jr. and his General Services Office chief Noel Reyes.

In a resolution written by Associate Justice Rodolfo Ponferrada and dated Oct. 15, 2015, Typoco and Reyes were found guilty of violating the Revised Penal Code (RPC) and sentenced to a prison term of no less than two years and four months and no more than eight years and one month.

Court records showed that in 2005, Camarines Norte came out with a Medical Indigency Program to provide poor residents with free medicines and hospitalization services.

To implement the project, Typoco authorized the purchase of medicines worth 1.6 million. A public bidding was purportedly conducted on May 18, 2005 and the notice of award issued the following day.

However, prosecutors presented evidence showing that the delivery and payment for the medicines were done one month earlier in April 2005.

The decision, concurred to by First Division Chairperson Efren dela Cruz and Associate Justice Rafael Lagos, also set a penalty of 2,000 for each of the two convicted.

Meanwhile, two of their co-accused — GSO Provincial Buyer III Aida Pandeagua and Angelina Cabrera who is the owner of Cabrera's Drugstore and Medical Supply — were acquitted in the case.