CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Former Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo has asked the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) to correct a news item where he "had fallen victim to a demolition job through malicious stories published in the media."
In the aftermath of the sales of the Philippine Daily Inquirer to business tycoon Ramon Ang, Pelayo appealed to the paper to correct the article it had published in March 8, 2014, which claimed he had been charged with plunder over P127.7-million worth of ghost projects.
The Inquirer story, written by Gil Cabacungan, claimed a plunder case was filed against Pelayo in the Office of the Ombudsman by more than a dozen Candaba residents led by one Arnold Canimo, who accused him of conniving with several individuals and corporations to embezzle government funds.
“Canimo and his fellow complainants claimed that Pelayo had engaged several individuals and corporations for 11 separate contract agreements to establish, maintain, develop, rehabilitate and improve a demo farm at the Clark economic zone in Pampanga province, and construct, repair, rehabilitate and improve irrigation service roads, including the Barangay Bridge over Malisik River,” the Inquirer story read.
Pelayo, however, bared that he had been issued a clearance by the Ombudsman dated June 27, 2017, stating he had no pending case before the anti-graft body.
“We waited for three years for a summon or subpoena asking us to comment on the case or to appear before the Ombudsman but there was none,” said Pelayo.
“So I decided to go to the Office of the Ombudsman to inquire personally inquire on the case supposedly filed against me and I was issued a clearance stating I have no case – criminal or administrative – pending before it,” Pelayo averred.
Pelayo said the Inquirer, particularly the writer, made a big mistake in publishing a story claiming a plunder case was filed against him when his supposed accusers failed to provide the paper the docket number of the supposed case.
“What was most unfortunate was that the story came out on the day of my son’s wedding.” the former mayor lamented.
To prove he had just been a victim of a demolition job, which he alleged to be hatched by his political rival, former Candaba Mayor Rene Maglanque, Pelayo said he had filed a libel case against Canimo and his alleged cohorts before Quezon City RTC Judge Branch 224, which upheld his case and ordered the arrest of his supposed accusers.
Aside from Canimo, ordered arrested were Edgardo de Guzman, Gaudencio Lacanilao, Francisco San Pedro, Lorenzo Catacutan, Romeo Balatbat, Rufino Pabalan, Dionisio Guevarra, Rodolfo Manalili, Jessie Laurente, Danilo Bartolome and Bernardo Santiago.
Maglanque who ran and lost in the last election under the banner of the Liberal Party (LP), is now the subject of a P900-million plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman along with 25 others allegedly for conniving with pork barrel suspect Janet Napoles in malversing the fund in exchange for huge kickbacks.
Pelayo said he should have chosen to remain quiet regarding the “malicious story” published by the Inquirer against him three years ago but the story had still been affecting his business.
“I am no longer connected with politics for several years now. I manage my own business. But, unfortunately, whenever potential business partners search my name on the Internet, that particular story published by the inquirer keeps popping up. So I have to explain again and again what really transpired. And I even have to show my Ombudsman clearance and a copy of the RTC decision ordering the arrest of my supposed accusers,” Pelayo explained.
“I hope the PDI would do something about this. After all, they were the ones who did this to me. Maybe they could take down that story from their website,” said Pelayo.