The Second Division of the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed the Sandiganbayan’s decision to convict former Maasin Vice Mayor Arnaldo Partisala with graft and falsification of municipal council resolution in 1996 to authorize quarrying.

The Second Division of the SC dismissed the appeal of Partisala who was penalized in 1999 for making it seem that public documents had allowed Helen Lee Tan to lead a massive quarrying in the guise of rechanneling Tigum River.

Due to the destruction of the river caused by the quarrying in Barangay Naslo in Maasin, residents of Barangay Mabini-Rizal sued former Mayor Rene Mondejar; Sangguniang Bayan Secretary Francisco Tolentino; and Sanggunian Members Ildefonso Espejo, Margarita Gumapas, Manuel Piolo, and Roberto Velasco.

In 1997, the provincial government said that Maasin violated the ordinances by quarrying without the governor’s permit.

Partisala was sentenced up to eight years of imprisonment and a fine of PHP5,000. Other members of the co-accused were sentenced by the Sandiganbayan up to 10 years of imprisonment.

The Supreme Court “considers as conclusive the factual findings of the Sandiganbayan as it had the better opportunity to examine and evaluate the evidence presented before it,” the high court said in June 2.

Tan was acquitted in 2016 for the failure of the prosecution to prove conspiracy beyond reasonable doubt.