- Ex-Laguna Governor ER Ejercito was ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan
- The issuance of a warrant of arrest was ordered after Ejercito failed to show up in the arraignment proceedings
- Ejercito’s lawyer said his client remains confined at a hospital due to community-acquired pneumonia
After failing to appear in his arraignment for graft in connection with the allegedly anomalous 2008 insurance deal, former Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito was ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan.
The anti-graft court’s fourth division also ordered the former governor’s P30,000 bail confiscated.
Ejercito’s lawyer, Atty. Antonio Jose Gerardo Paz, informed the court on Monday, April 18, that his client cannot attend the scheduled arraignment proceedings as Ejercito remains confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.
A medical certificate from the hospital showed Ejercito was confined in the hospital since “April 17 to present due to community-acquired pneumonia which poses moderate risk.”
Fourth Division junior member Associate Justice Geraldine Faith Econg questioned the authenticity of the medical certificate after noting the alteration made in the date of Ejercito’s confinement. She also noted the inconsistency between the name of his attending physician and the one who signed the certificate.
The certificate said the former governor was confined at the hospital under the service of Dr. Bagno, but the one who signed it was a certain Dr. Fe Y. Alvarez.
Fourth Division chairman Associate Justice Jose Hernandez was likewise not convinced of the authenticity of the medical certificate, as mentioned in a GMA News Online article dated April 18, 2016.
“This certificate has no value this court. It cannot be used for legal purposes. This kind of medical certificate should only be presented in school,” Hernandez said.
The associate justice gave Ejercito’s camp 30 days to respond to the show cause order explaining why he should not be arrested.
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