Manila Bulletin

Mon­ico seeks per­mis­sion to at­tend FIFA meet

- By JEFFREY G. DAMICOG

Ba­colod City Mayor Mon­ico Puentevell­a has asked the Sandi­gan­bayan Fourth Di­vi­sion to al­low him to at­tend the meet­ing of the Fed­er­a­tion In­ter­na­tionale de Football As­so­ci­a­tion (FIFA) this month in Zurich, Switzer­land.

Puentevell­a has been charged with graft over the al­leged over­priced pur­chase of com­put­ers amount­ing to 26 mil­lion us­ing his Pri­or­ity De­vel­op­ment As­sis­tance Fund (PDAF) from 2002 to 2006 when he was a con­gress­man.

In his ur­gent mo­tion to travel, Puentevell­a’s lawyers prayed that the anti-graft court grant his re­quest to be in Zurich from Septem­ber 20 to 27 for the FIFA meet­ings.

“Ac­cused Puentevell­a is priv­i­leged of hav­ing the dis­tinc­tion of be­ing the first and only Filipino to be­come a mem­ber of the pres­ti­gious FIFA (Fed­er­a­tion In­ter­na­tionale de Football As­so­ci­a­tion),” cited his lawyer.

Puentevell­a is a mem­ber of FIFA’s mar­ket­ing and tele­vi­sion com­mit­tee in good stand­ing.

“As a FIFA mem­ber, ac­cused Puentevell­a ought to at­tend these meet­ings as this is in fur­ther­ance of his func­tions as such. His at­ten­dance to the com­mit­tee meet­ing is a re­spon­si­bil­ity he must per­form. He has al­ready sig­ni­fied his in­ten­tion to at­tend the meet­ings,” said his coun­sels.

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