FOR receiving a P20,000 from a businessman, a former regional assistant director of the Department of Transportation and Communications was sentenced by the Sandiganbayan to a maximum of 10 and a half years in jail.

Found guilty of accepting bribe was Roberto Fernando Jr. of the Transport Department office in the Cordillera Administrative Region. He was also disqualified from holding public office.

First Division Presiding Judge Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo ruled there is proof beyond reasonable doubt that Fernando requested and received from Wrexton Afidchao some pecuniary benefit in consideration of the help given him.

Afidchao accused the transport official of receiving P20,000 from him in exchange for granting him a franchise to operate a passenger van.

Afidchao told the court that a jeepney driver accompanied him in Fernando?s office in Baguio City in February 2002 where the accused told the complainant he was selling a franchise?or a Certificate of Public Conveyance needed to operate a passenger vehicle?for P45,000.

Afidchao said he gave Fernando a P20,000 advance payment the following day and Fernando?s driver Ricardo Padilla another P5,000 a week after.

In April 2002, Afidchao said Fernando sent him a letter asking for either P10,000 more or the ?remaining balance.?

The prosecution presented the letter in open court and Fernando admitted he wrote the letter.

But he denied selling a franchise?which he is not allowed to do?and told the court he was just borrowing money from the complainant.

The court did not buy his story.

Meanwhile, the wife of textile businessman Faustino Chingkoe tagged as the brains of the multi-million tax credit scam in the 1990s asked the Sandiganbayan to suspend the proceedings against her.

In an omnibus motion, Gloria Chingkoe cited the delay in the filing of the cases against her by the Office of the Ombudsman.

She pointed out that it took the Ombudsman eight years to resolve the cases against her. Macon Ramos Araneta