LOCAL shipping magnate and Camiguin lone district’s congressional challenger Paul Rodriguez is facing a perjury rap.
This, after the provincial prosecutor resolved on January 6 to elevate one count of violation of Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code against the entrepreneur turned would-be politician.
The case stemmed from a petition before a regional court in Camiguin that Rodriguez lodged July 19 last year declaring the nullity of a provincial ordinance, the Camiguin Smart Tourism Ordinance.
A measure that authorizes the provincial government to use QR codes to track its visitors, the Smart Tourism Ordinance was implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic but it was never lifted.
In his petition, Rodriguez alleged before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 28 that the ordinance did not comply with the publication requirement of the Local Government Code.
Because of this petition, the same court issued last September a 20-day temporary restraining order (TRO) against the implementation of the ordinance.
But the provincial government hit back at Rodriguez and filed before the provincial prosecutor a count of perjury against him. The complainants were Gov. Xavier Jesus Romualdo, Vice Gov. Rodin Romualdo and Sangguniang Panlalawigan members Shella Babanto, Ma. Victoria Jansol, Louis Bollozos, Stanley Planco, Webb Bajenio, Peter Dann Romualdo and Reychille Abian.
In their complaint, they claimed that Rodriguez had committed perjury because the ordinance was in fact published on three separate dates in May 2024 in Mindanao Daily News – the exact opposite to what Rodriguez reported in his petition before the court. The complainants attached copies of the newspaper and affidavits of publication in their complaint before the prosecutor.
In its resolution, the provincial prosecutor stated that all elements of perjury were present in Rodriguez’s actions.
“The presence of the first two elements are beyond dispute. Respondent Paul Y. Rodriguez executed a verification in support of the petition filed before the Regional Trial Court Branch 28 (Mambajao, Camiguin),” the provincial prosecutor stated. “When respondent Rodriguez executed the verification, he asserted under oath the truthfulness of all the allegations contained in the petition (sic) to achieve his purpose i.e. to obtain an injunction.”
The prosecutor further went on stating that by asserting to the truthfulness of the claim, “it has the material effect or tendency to influence the judge (sic) and subsequently grant the reliefs prayed for in that petition.”
The provincial prosecutor then elevated the filing of one count of perjury against Rodriguez before the court and recommended a bail of P60,000.
The resolution was signed January 6 by deputy provincial prosecutor Lester Labiano and approved by provincial prosecutor Rogen Dal.
