The Sandiganbayan has convicted Muntinlupa Mayor and former congressman Ruffy Biazon of graft in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam that rocked the Philippine political system.
Biazon, who served as representative of Muntinlupa from 2001 to 2010 and again from 2010 to 2013, was sentenced to six to ten years in prison after the court found him guilty of one count of graft.
Despite the graft conviction, the anti-graft court acquitted him of malversation charges tied to the same case.
Biazon stated through his legal team that he intends to appeal the Sandiganbayan ruling, asserting that he continues to uphold public trust and governance with integrity.
He also clarified that the conviction will not affect his current position as mayor of Muntinlupa, vowing to continue his duties in public service.
The pork barrel scam, formally known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam, was a large-scale corruption scandal exposed in 2013, involving the alleged misuse of lawmakers’ discretionary funds.
At the center of the scam was businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, who allegedly masterminded the funneling of PDAF funds into fake non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with kickbacks reportedly given to legislators and government officials.
Ruffy Biazon was among several lawmakers charged by the Office of the Ombudsman after being accused of allocating his PDAF between 2007 and 2009 to questionable NGOs associated with Napoles.
According to prosecutors, Biazon allegedly received kickbacks from his PDAF releases, a charge that led to his indictment for graft and malversation.
In its ruling, the Sandiganbayan ruled that there was sufficient evidence to convict Biazon of graft under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, but the court found the evidence insufficient to prove the charge of malversation beyond reasonable doubt.
This development adds to the list of convictions related to the pork barrel scandal, which previously led to the detention and prosecution of high-profile lawmakers such as Senators Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, and Juan Ponce Enrile.
Biazon maintains that he did not personally benefit from the PDAF releases and is confident that the appeal process will clear his name.