The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division has required Bacolod Mayor Monico Puentevella to post P30,000 as bail bond for his provisional liberty during the conditional arraignment of the case involving the alleged anomalous procurement of overpriced computer packages for more than P25 million using his Priority Development Assistance Fund when he was yet congressman.

Puentevella also had to deposit with the Court P90,000 in cash as travel bond, which is one of the conditions set in response to his “Motion for Leave of Court to Travel Abroad” dated March 11.

Bacolod Administrator Rolando Villamor said the conditional arraignment was required because Puentevella requested permission from the Sandiganbayan to travel abroad, citing the joint conference of mayors of emerging cities from ASEAN nations (Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam) at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore on March 31 to April 1.

In Tuesday's arraignment, Puentevella pleaded “not guilty” of the charge of which he is accused, along with Department of Education regional director Victorino Tirol Jr., and Jessie Garcia, chairman of the board of Merryland Publishing Corporation, after the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict them for acting in violation of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Villamor said that since the beginning, Puentevella maintained that he is innocent of the charges filed against him so he pleaded “not guilty.”

The conditional arraignment is a normal course after Puentevella has complied with all requirements. It is conditional because they have a pending ‘Motion for the Judicial Declaration of Probable Cause', he said.

Villamor also said that the conditional arraignment is with reservation and without prejudice to their pending motion for judicial determination of probable cause.

The Sandiganbayan, in its order dated March 25, signed by chairperson Gregory Ong and members Jose Hernandez and Maria Cristina Cornejo, said the arraignment of Puentevella is conditional in nature, in the sense that it will be for the purpose of enabling him to travel abroad without the Court losing its jurisdiction to proceed with the case even in his absence.

“It will be without prejudice to the outcome of the pending judicial determination of probable cause for the issuance of the warrant of arrest against the accused in this case,” it said.

The order said if the accused fails to return, or otherwise absconds, his conditional arraignment will be deemed a regular and permanent arraignment and the Court will proceed against him in absentia.

When the accused returns, his conditional arraignment will be set aside and the Court will schedule his regular arraignment, it said.

The accused may still exercise the legal remedies available to him under the rules prior to the arraignment, but he must formally notify the Court in writing not later than five days from his expected date of return of his intention to do so, otherwise the Court will already treat his conditional arraignment as a regular arraignment and will proceed accordingly, the order also said.*CGS

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