August 23, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has acquitted former vice chairman Jejomar Binay Sr., his son former Makati mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. and several other different former officers of the Makati Metropolis authorities of a number of legal fees in reference to the allegedly anomalous building of the P2.2-billion Makati Metropolis Corridor Constructing II.
In a 202-page resolution promulgated yesterday, the court docket’s Third Division stated the prosecution panel of the Workplace of the Ombudsman didn’t show past cheap doubt the guilt of the Binay father and son, their co-accused former Makati Metropolis officers in addition to personal respondents Efren Canlas of Hilmarc’s Development Corp. and Orlando Mateo of Mana Structure and Inside Design Co. (MANA).
“Primary in all legal prosecutions is the presumption that the accused is harmless till the opposite is proved. Thus, the well-established jurisprudence is that the prosecution bears the burden to beat such presumption; in any other case, the accused deserves a judgment of acquittal,” the choice, penned by Affiliate Justice Ronald Moreno, learn.
“Right here, the prosecution has miserably didn’t show the required quantum of proof in all these instances. Acquittal, due to this fact, is so as,” it added.
Affiliate Justices Gener Gito and Edgardo Caldona concurred with the ruling.
Filed by the ombudsman in 2016, the instances contain a complete of 23 counts of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation of public funds below Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code and falsification of public paperwork below Article 171 of the RPC.
Binay Sr. was the first accused in 9 counts of falsification of public paperwork, 4 counts of graft and one rely of malversation of public funds for phases one, two and three of the alleged overpriced building of the P2.2-billion Makati Metropolis Corridor Constructing II, additionally known as the Makati parking constructing, throughout his time period as mayor.
Binay Jr., in the meantime, is the first accused for 2 counts of graft and 6 counts of falsification for phases 4 and 5 of the development of the parking constructing. He’s additionally named as co-accused of his father for 2 counts of graft and one rely of malversation for phases one, two and three of the initiatives.
All of the instances stemmed from the alleged anomalous award of the architectural design and building contracts to MANA and Hilmarc’s, respectively, for the parking constructing venture.
The ombudsman stated the contracts had been awarded via “simulated bidding” and regardless of the absence of accepted finances appropriation, venture plan and specs.
Other than the Binay father and son, different former metropolis officers acquitted of the fees had been former Makati Metropolis bids and awards committee chairpersons Marjorie de Veyra and Eleno Mendoza Jr.; former BAC members Pio Kenneth Dasal, Lorenza Amores, Ulysess Orienza, Gerardo San Gabriel, Virginia Hernandez and Mario Badillo; former BAC Secretariat members Giovanni Condes and Norman Flores; BAC Technical Working Group members Rodel Nayve, Line dela Peña and Arnel Cadangan; metropolis accountants Leonila Querijero and Raydes Pestaño and metropolis cashier Nelia Barlis.
In the meantime, the instances towards different former Makati Metropolis officers Emerlito Magat, Cecilio Lim III and Manolito Uyaco had been dismissed on the account of their deaths.
The Third Division has but to launch the complete copy of the choice as of yesterday afternoon. However within the dispositive portion of the ruling, it stated that other than failure to show the guilt of every of the accused, the prosecution additionally failed set up the conspiracy amongst them in committing the alleged crimes.
Moreover, the court docket stated no civil legal responsibility may be imposed towards any of the accused because the information established in the course of the trial didn’t give rise to any civil legal responsibility.
With their acquittal, the Third Division additionally lifted the maintain departure order it earlier issued towards the accused. The court docket additionally ordered the discharge of the bail bond they beforehand posted for his or her provisional liberty.
The instances which stemmed from the development of the Makati parking constructing served because the final remaining batch of instances towards the Binay father and son on the Sandiganbayan.
The anti-graft court docket’s Fifth Division had earlier dismissed the graft and falsification fees towards the Binays and their co-accused metropolis officers in reference to the development of the P1.3-billion Makati Science Excessive College constructing, citing the weak point of proof of the ombudsman’s prosecution group.