The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of Pagsanjan Mayor Emilio Ramon ‘ER’ Ejercito and a businesswoman after their conviction for graft in connection with an insurance deal for tourists and boatmen in Laguna became final and executory
The arrest warrants were issued after the Supreme Court First Division denied ‘with finality’ the motions for reconsideration filed by Ejercito and co-accused Marilyn Bruel, with the SC saying the two failed to raise any substantial argument that would warrant the reversal of the court’s Feb. 5, 2025 decision.
‘No further pleadings or motions shall be entertained herein… Let an entry of judgment in this case be issue immediately,’ a part of the SC ruling read.
In a phone interview with The STAR, the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division Office of the Clerk of Court confirmed that a minute resolution ordering the arrest of Ejercito and Bruel, proprietor of First Rapids Care Ventures (FRCV), was issued on Oct. 20.
The Office of the Clerk of Court said the arrest order was issued after the Fourth Division was furnished an entry of judgment and a copy of the SC decision upholding the conviction of Ejercito and Bruel.
The Fourth Division’s resolution had not yet been uploaded on the Sandiganbayan website as of yesterday afternoon.
‘The judgment of conviction rendered in the case against accused Jeorge Ejercito Estregan and Marilyn Bruel having already become final and executory, let the corresponding warrant of arrest be issued against them for service of their sentence,’ the Fourth Division’s resolution stated, as read by the United Boatmen Association of Pagsanjan (UBAP) during a press conference in Calamba, Laguna last week.
The UBAP first filed the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman in 2016, which filed the case before the Sandiganbayan.
Ejercito, Bruel and five former councilors of Pagsanjan were found guilty in April 2019 for violation of Section 3 (e) Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The Sandiganbayan sentenced them to six to eight years of imprisonment, with the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of civil service eligibility and forfeiture of retirement benefits.
In August 2019, the Fourth Division denied Ejercito and Bruel’s motions for reconsideration. The case was then elevated to the high court.
The SC First Division sustained the conviction of Ejercito and Bruel, but acquitted former councilors Arlyn Torres, Terryl Talabong, Kalahi Rabago, Erwin Sacluti and Gener Dimaranan for ‘lack of evidence.’
The case stemmed from a contract the Pagsanjan government entered with FRCV in October 2008 for ‘accident protection and financial assistance’ coverage of tourists and boatmen plying the route to and from the Pagsanjan Gorge Tourist Zone.
The Office of the Ombudsman, which filed the case in 2016, said the insurance contract was entered into without public bidding, in violation of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act. FRCV was also reportedly registered with the Department of Trade and Industry and Bureau of Internal Revenue just five days before the deal was offered to Ejercito.
Ombudsman prosecutors said the deal was awarded to FRCV even when the firm has no license or certificate of authority to engage in insurance business from the Insurance Commission.
UBAP chairperson Jose Rivera lauded the SC ruling as a boon for accountability and integrity in government service.
Ejercito, whose screen name is Jorge Estregan, is a nephew of former president Joseph Estrada and a son of the late actor George Estregan.