Sexual harassment conviction vs NEDA exec upheld

MANILA, Philippines – Anti-graft court Sandiganbayan affirmed the decision convicting a National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional director of sexual harassment. 

In a resolution dated April 14, 2015, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division denied the motion for reconsideration of former NEDA Region 7 director Jose Romeo Escandor over the case for lack of merit. 

The court earlier found Escandor guilty of sexually harassing – for a decade – a female economic development specialist who worked for him. 

In appealing the decision, Escandor claimed that the 3 witnesses who corroborated the testimony of the complainant were disgruntled employees who had plotted to oust him from office. 

The defendant also noted how it took some time for the complainant to file charges against him, and argued that the case should be dismissed based on prescription. 

But the court ruled that Escandor’s arguments were not enough to warrant a reversal of the ruling. 

“In fine…, not only is (complainant) a credible witness, her testimony in itself is believable. As to the issue of prescription, the evidence shows that the acts of sexual harassment against Cruz were committed intermittently over a number of years and that the last acts, which revived her anxieties and fears from the previous years, are still embraced within the three-year prescriptive period,” the court said.  

During the trial, the complainant testified that her married boss harassed her from 1994 to 2004. 

The complainant said the former NEDA executive told her that he was “falling in love” with her. She ignored his advances but Escandor made physical contact many times after.

The complainant narrated how her boss forced her to sit beside him during lunch meetings and caressed her hands under the table. At one point, Escandor dragged her, and forcibly kissed her on the cheek while saying he missed her.  

Her boss would often used the office computer and emails to send her vulgar messages about sex.  

Escandor will not face jail time for the offense but was asked to pay a P20,000 ($452) penalty.

In October 2013, the NEDA executive was also convicted in another sexual harassment case, which resulted in a 6-month prison term and a P20,000 fine. – Rappler.com