A clarificatory hearing has been set for today by the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division on the request of Bacolod Councilor Carlos Jose Lopez for certified copies of the bail bond, together with copies of the mug shots of Mayor Monico Puentevella.

The resolution signed by Sandiganbayan chairperson Gregory Ong, Jose Hernandez and Maria Cristina Cornejo, also directed that the accused, through their respective counsels, be notified of the hearing.

Lopez said that, instead of writing the Sandiganbayan or sending his lawyer, he has decided to appear without counsel, to explain why he has requested for the documents.

Earlier, Puentevella, had s aid that Lopez is behind the efforts to have him suspended by following up his pending cases at the Ombudsman.

He said the Sandiganbayan resolution on the letter-complaint of Lopez is proof that the councilor has been meddling in his case.

Lopez wrote the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division last month requesting for the speedy disposition of Puentevella's case involving the alleged anomalous procurement of overpriced computers for more than P25 million, with his Priority Development Assistance Fund, when he was yet congressman.

Lopez said it was only on the last days of March that he followed up Puentevella's cases, after he learned that the reason why his job order casuals were cut off was that the Mayor suspected that he was behind the move to have him suspended.

He pointed out that he never dipped his finger into the pending cases of the Mayor before March 28 to 31, yet his casual employees had already been cut off as early as February, even if he had supported all the Mayor's requests in the City Council.

The Sandiganbayan had denied the motion for review for judicial determination of probable cause in the criminal case filed against Puentevella et al, and has ordered warrants of arrests issued against the accused.

Puentevella was not included in the warrants because he had already been arraigned and had posted bail.

The criminal case was filed against Puentevella, and Victoriano Tirol Jr. of the Department of Education, and supplier Jessie Garcia, chairman of Merryland Publishing Corporation, after the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict them for acting in violation of R.A. 3019, or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.*CGS

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