MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has junked a graft charge against Catalina Bagasina, the former mayor of Sasmuan, Pampanga and currently party-list representative of PL-Association of Laborers and Employees.

In a 13-page decision penned by Associate Justice Roland B. Jurado, the graft court held that the prosecution failed to present any proof to sustain culpable acts relative to the graft case even after submitting the testimony of five witnesses.
 
It said there was no evidence that it was Bagasina who was solely responsible for awarding the contract to Kylemed Inc. when she municipal mayor of Sasmuan, Pampanga in 2001. There was also no evidence that the supplier lacked accreditation from Department of Health, that the accused knew such lack of accreditation and that there was a violation of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the DOH.

“(T)he prosecution did not even present the said Memorandum of Agreement. Necessarily, the Court has no basis in determining whether a violation of its provision was indeed committed, or if there was such violation, whether it was the accused who committed the same,” the court pointed out.