Andaya refuses to enter plea

Former Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. refused to enter a plea during his arraignment for 97 counts of graft and 97 counts of malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents related to the alleged misuse of P900 million Malampaya Funds.

During the formal reading of the information charge against Andaya, Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang entered a not guilty plea for the former legislator on all his cases following Section 1(c) of Rule 116 of the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure.

Previously, co-accused businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles together with her children Jo Christine and James Christopher Napoles as well as her brothers, Reynald and Ronald Francisco Lim also refused to enter plea on the same charges prompting the Sandiganbayan to follow the same Court rules.

After their arraignment, the Sandiganbayan set the pre-trial of their cases on 9 August.

The pre-marking of evidences from all the accused except Andaya has been completed urging the former Budget Secretary’s camp to pre-mark their evidence on 24 to 26 this July.

Andaya’s arraignment was delayed due to the motion to quash that he filed before the Court and the petition for certiorari with a prayer for a temporary restraining order before the Supreme Court.

Cabotaje-Tang who chairs the Sandiganbayan Third Division said that since there is no pending legal obstacle, the Court proceeded with the arraignment.