CEBU, Philippines - It’s Liberal Party candidate vs. Liberal Party candidate.
LP Lapu-Lapu City congressional candidate Angel Rodriguez has filed an estafa case against businessman and LP Lapu-Lapu City mayoralty candidate Efrain Pelaez before the City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday.
Rodriguez accused Pelaez of misappropriating the P250,000 operational funds that he contributed as election kitty to cover expenses for food and drinks during pulong-pulongs.
Rodriguez said that he gave a check amounting to P250,000 last Oct. 18, 2012 to Pelaez on the agreement that the latter will open a joint coalition bank account.
Rodriguez said that on Oct. 24, 2012, five of their candidates for councilors namely Rufo Bering, Jan Vincent de la Cerna, Jerico Cosep, Ernesto Tumulak and Celestino Aying requested him for “expense” money relative to the registration of new voters at P10,000 each or a total of P50,000.
Pelaez, who was in Manila at that time, allegedly told Rodriguez that the P250,000 was not yet deposited, prompting the latter to advance P50,000 with the understanding that it will be reimbursed from the coalition funds.
Rodriguez claimed it turned out that the check for P250,000 was deposited under the personal account of the mayoralty bet.
He said that when he confronted Pelaez, he was not given a sufficient and reasonable explanation.
“He just perfunctorily dismissed my queries with an empty promise that he would just make an accounting of the expenses in falsely claiming that he had not yet deposited the check, he gravely abused my confidence and trust,” Rodriguez’s nine-page affidavit read.
“I am not going to ruin my reputation for a mere P250,000. The timing in filing this case is very suspicious. It’s for purely propaganda value. This is his desperate move because he is not going to win,” said Pelaez when sought for comment.
Pelaez, who is local LP chairman said that Rodriguez was disgruntled when he expelled Rodriguez, and the five councilorial candidates from LP last March.
In his Dec. 7, 2012 letter to Rodriguez, Pelaez said that the P250,000 was given to him by check, payable in his name and not a joint name or account with Rodriguez’s name on it.
“You will read from the statement of receipts and disbursement that I have made far larger additional contributions than you have,” Pelaez letter read.
But Rodriguez said the statement of receipts and disbursement is worthless and self-serving one because it is unsigned and unverifiable.
Pelaez added that Rodriguez has been threatening to file a case against him since December 2012 after he did not agree with the latter’s request.
That request, Pelaez said, was that if he won as city mayor, 50 percent of City Hall employees shall support Rodriguez.
“Ngano gud tawon magbuot siya,” Pelaez said.
Pelaez added that he will initiate his own legal moves against Rodriguez.
LP bet sues partymate
CEBU, Philippines - It’s Liberal Party candidate vs. Liberal Party candidate.
LP Lapu-Lapu City congressional candidate Angel Rodriguez has filed an estafa case against businessman and LP Lapu-Lapu City mayoralty candidate Efrain Pelaez before the City Prosecutor’s Office yesterday.
Rodriguez accused Pelaez of misappropriating the P250,000 operational funds that he contributed as election kitty to cover expenses for food and drinks during pulong-pulongs.
Rodriguez said that he gave a check amounting to P250,000 last Oct. 18, 2012 to Pelaez on the agreement that the latter will open a joint coalition bank account.
Rodriguez said that on Oct. 24, 2012, five of their candidates for councilors namely Rufo Bering, Jan Vincent de la Cerna, Jerico Cosep, Ernesto Tumulak and Celestino Aying requested him for “expense” money relative to the registration of new voters at P10,000 each or a total of P50,000.
Pelaez, who was in Manila at that time, allegedly told Rodriguez that the P250,000 was not yet deposited, prompting the latter to advance P50,000 with the understanding that it will be reimbursed from the coalition funds.
Rodriguez claimed it turned out that the check for P250,000 was deposited under the personal account of the mayoralty bet.
He said that when he confronted Pelaez, he was not given a sufficient and reasonable explanation.
“He just perfunctorily dismissed my queries with an empty promise that he would just make an accounting of the expenses in falsely claiming that he had not yet deposited the check, he gravely abused my confidence and trust,” Rodriguez’s nine-page affidavit read.
“I am not going to ruin my reputation for a mere P250,000. The timing in filing this case is very suspicious. It’s for purely propaganda value. This is his desperate move because he is not going to win,” said Pelaez when sought for comment.
Pelaez, who is local LP chairman said that Rodriguez was disgruntled when he expelled Rodriguez, and the five councilorial candidates from LP last March.
In his Dec. 7, 2012 letter to Rodriguez, Pelaez said that the P250,000 was given to him by check, payable in his name and not a joint name or account with Rodriguez’s name on it.
“You will read from the statement of receipts and disbursement that I have made far larger additional contributions than you have,” Pelaez letter read.
But Rodriguez said the statement of receipts and disbursement is worthless and self-serving one because it is unsigned and unverifiable.
Pelaez added that Rodriguez has been threatening to file a case against him since December 2012 after he did not agree with the latter’s request.
That request, Pelaez said, was that if he won as city mayor, 50 percent of City Hall employees shall support Rodriguez.
“Ngano gud tawon magbuot siya,” Pelaez said.
Pelaez added that he will initiate his own legal moves against Rodriguez.