MANILA, Philippines — Late former Polangui, Albay mayor Jesus Salceda Sr. would have been pronounced guilty in 2004 fertilizer fund scam, but he met his demise before he was convicted. The division, instead, directed the Office of the Ombudsman's prosecution team to confirm Salceda's death with the Philippine Statistics Authority. The court was supposed to hand out a guilty verdict to Salceda on December 7 but his lawyer Jose Conrado Sabio manifested that the former mayor has passed away on November 19. 'Extinguished'Salceda's demise, in effect, spares him of conviction for two counts of graft filed by the ombudsman in 2013 in accordance with the Revised Penal Code. Salceda is the father of Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay, 2nd district), provincial board member Jesus "Jesap" Salceda Jr. and doctor Anne Marie Salceda-Mella.

Source: Philippine Star December 25, 2017 08:37 UTC