Final Act: The Sandiganbayan Drops the Curtain on Mayor Ejercito’s Graft Opera

From Action Star to Inmate # – The Role He Never Auditioned For

By Louis ‘Barok‘ C. Biraogo — November 6, 2025

ACT I: CUFFS, CAMERA, NO ACTION – The Sandiganbayan’s Non-Negotiable Arrest Warrant

October 20, 2025. The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division drops a minute resolution colder than a Pagsanjan waterfall in January: “Let the corresponding warrant of arrest be issued…” No drama. No mercy. Just ministerial duty in full force.

Under Rule 120, Section 7 of the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure, a criminal judgment becomes final and executory the moment the Supreme Court (SC) denies reconsideration with finality and issues an entry of judgment. The SC First Division did precisely that on February 5, 2025, slamming the door with: “No further pleadings shall be entertained… Let an entry of judgment be issued immediately.”

Jurisprudence leaves zero wiggle room. In Mayor Marcial Vargas and Engr. Raymundo Del Rosario v. Fortunato Cajucom (G.R. No. 171095, 2015), the High Court ruled: once finality attaches, execution is automatic—no discretion, no delay, no VIP treatment. The Sandiganbayan didn’t want to arrest Ejercito. It had to.

Suspense hook: Will he surrender like a gentleman villain… or get dragged out in a viral perp-walk special?

**Public Trust, Private Heist: How Charity Became a Crime Scene**

ACT II: FROM HERO TO HEIST – How a 5-Day-Old Company Stole the Show

Flashback: 2008. Mayor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito (screen name: Jorge Estregan) awards a contract for “accident protection and financial assistance” to First Rapids Care Ventures (FRCV)—a company so new it was still wet from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) registration ink. Five days old. No license from the Insurance Commission (IC). But hey—public funds don’t need rules, right?

This is Section 3(e) of Republic Act (RA) No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, in its most shameless form:

Public officer? ✅ Mayor Ejercito.
Official duties? ✅ Signing Local Government Unit (LGU) contracts.
Undue injury or unwarranted benefit? ✅ No bidding. Unlicensed firm. Public money flushed.
Manifest partiality? Awarding a contract to a company still in diapers? That’s not oversight—that’s a love letter.

This wasn’t just a violation of RA 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act—it was a mockery. No public bidding. No competition. Just a direct award to Marilyn Bruel‘s newborn enterprise.

The Office of the Ombudsman saw through the script. The Sandiganbayan convicted in April 2019. The SC affirmed in 2025. And the “public welfare” excuse? Laughable. Good intent doesn’t legalize corruption. In Cabrera v. Sandiganbayan (G.R. Nos. 191611-14, April 06, 2022), the SC acquitted for minor lapses without bad faith—but here? The irregularity was screaming.

ACT III: DEFENSE LINES COLLAPSE – When “Good Faith” Meets a Brick Wall

Ejercito’s legal team fired every trope in the book. All missed. Let’s dismantle them:

“I trusted my staff!” → Arias v. Sandiganbayan (G.R. No. 81563, 1988) allows delegation—unless the irregularity is so glaring you’d need sunglasses indoors. A 5-day-old, unlicensed firm? That’s not a blind spot. That’s willful blindness.
“I didn’t pocket a peso!” → RA 3019, Section 3(e) doesn’t require personal gain. Causing undue injury or giving unwarranted benefits is enough. Arias v. Sandiganbayan confirmed: you screw the public, you pay.
“Why me? The councilors walked!” → The Local Government Code (RA 7160), Section 444 makes the mayor the chief executive. He signs. He owns. The councilors were extras. He was the star, director, and thief.

His legal ship didn’t sail. It was torpedoed by the Supreme Court, burned by the Sandiganbayan, and now rests at the bottom of Pagsanjan Gorge.

ACT IV: DYNASTY IN FREEFALL – From Estrada to Ejercito, the Script Repeats

The fallout is delicious:

Political: Perpetual disqualification (RA 3019, Sec. 9). Vice mayor takes over (Local Government Code, Sec. 44). Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)—move fast or Pagsanjan becomes a governance black hole.
Ethical: A win for RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. Public office is a public trust, not a family franchise or movie set.
Cultural: Celebrity governance is a plague. Ejercito joins the Estrada hall of shame:
Uncle Joseph “Erap” Estrada → plunder conviction
Cousin Jinggoy Estrada → pork barrel scam
Now ER Ejercito → graft
When will voters stop mistaking charisma for competence?
Systemic: United Boatmen Association of Pagsanjan (UBAP) and the Ombudsman fought for nine years. Justice? More like glacial parody.

ACT V: FINAL SCENE – No More Takes. Just Time.

Only two endings left:

Surrender within 15 days (Rule 120, Sec. 7) and serve 6–8 years with dignity.
Resist and get arrested in a spectacle that’ll trend for weeks.

To every public official:

The law may crawl, but it bites. Graft isn’t a perk—it’s betrayal.

The boatmen of Pagsanjan waited years for justice. Now, the man who capsized their trust must finally ride the rapids—alone.

Fade to black.

Barok’s Final Cut:

If you’re a mayor, governor, or congressman—fix your bidding. Or the next warrant has your name. And the view from prison? Not as pretty as the gorge.

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