Ex-PRC chief cleared of extortion

Former Professional Regulations Commission chief Afredo Po has been cleared of extortion charges filed by a lawyer in connection with a lease contract involving a PRC satellite office in Baguio City.

In a decision promulgated on Sept. 15, the Sandiganbayan said the prosecution failed to prove Po’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The court also lifted the hold order it issued against Po and returned the bail that he posted in exchange for his provisional liberty.

The charges stemmed from a case filed by lawyer Ernesto de los Santos, who claimed that Po demanded P478,000 in exchange for helping him secure the lease contract from the PRC.

Records showed De los Santos owned the CTLL Build- ing on Abanao Extension in Baguio City, which was leased by the government.

In 2012, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation conducted a sting at Po’s office in Manila, wherein De Los Santos supposedly delivered P349,000.

Although the prosecution presented witnesses and evidence to prove that Po received money from De los Santos, the anti-graft court said it failed to establish that the amount was in exchange for the accused services.

The Sandiganbayan said De Los Santos failed to testify during the trial, which affected the prosecution’s case.

“Without De Los Santos’ testimony, the allegation remains speculative,” it said.

Po was appointed PRC commissioner by former president Benigno Aquino III in September 2010.