By Macon Ramos Araneta

Ex-Para?aque City Mayor Joey Marquez and two of his co-accused were cleared by the Sandiganbayan of estafa and graft charges over an alleged anomalous P6.41-million textbook contract during his term in 1998.

Also acquitted were Rolando Magno and Mario Jimenez, former Para?aque City Schools Division superintendent and former executive assistant to the mayor, respectively.

Marquez?s other co-defendants were treasurer Silvestre de Leon, budget officer Flocerfida Babida and assistant to the mayor Antonette Antonio.

But the ruling did not apply to the three because only Marquez, Magno and Jimenez filed the demurrers to evidence granted by the anti-graft court.

Besides, Antonio has not been arraigned as she remains at large.

The Third Division finding said the prosecution failed to show that the accused caused undue injury to Kejo Educational System, Merylvin Publishing House and Southern Christian Commercial represented by complainant Lizabeth Carreon.

The anti-graft also noted that the documentary evidence presented in court by government lawyers to support the charges were mere photocopies, thus bereft of probative value.

Acting on Carreon?s complaint, the Office of the Ombudsman charged Marquez and his co-accused for inducing the suppliers to deliver the books even without the covering funds.

She claimed to have been unpaid despite making full delivery of 500 copies each of Diksyonaryong Pilipino and Oxford Dictionary, Basic Textbooks for Grade II and DECS Basic Textbooks.

On record, the suppliers, who were supposed to be at a loss, did not file any complaint.

?Quite obviously, complainant Carreon is trifling with the Ombudsman and this Court by using these institutions as collection agencies,? said the anti-graft court.

?Worse, she asked the Ombudsman and this Court to recover the bribe money she paid to Antonio and a certain Aileen [Marquez?s secretary] through the guise of charging the accused with estafa and graft.?