The Sandiganbayan Second Division on Monday deferred the arraignment of Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James "Jojo" Ang Jr. in separate graft cases while it resolves pending motions filed by the defense.

During the hearing, defense counsel Atty. Luis Vera Cruz told the anti-graft court that the defense had filed a motion to consolidate the 14 graft charges against Ang before the Sandiganbayan, as well as a motion to quash the information.

Vera Cruz argued that the cases involve similar allegations and differ only in the government projects and the amounts involved.

He also maintained that the information filed by prosecutors failed to allege specific facts necessary to establish the offenses charged.

According to the defense, the Sandiganbayan has no jurisdiction because the information did not explicitly state the actual damage allegedly suffered by the government as a result of the questioned transactions.

The cases assigned to the Second Division involve projects worth ₱3.4 million and ₱17 million.

The prosecution, however, argued that the alleged damage was reflected in the value of the projects themselves, emphasizing that the cases primarily involve conflict of interest under Section 3(h) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Prosecutors said the alleged violation does not necessarily depend on the amount of money lost by the government but on the prohibition against public officials having a direct or indirect financial interest in transactions that may conflict with their official duties.

After hearing both parties, the Sandiganbayan said the pending motions would be submitted for resolution.

The court reset Ang's arraignment to 8 September, noting that an accused cannot be arraigned while motions to quash remain unresolved.

Ang has previously posted ₱1.2 million in bail in connection with the cases.