Sandiganbayan enters not guilty plea for ex-Bauan mayor in graft case

The Sandiganbayan Seventh Division entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of former Bauan, Batangas Mayor Ryanh Dolor after he declined to enter a plea Tuesday in a graft case stemming from the privatization of the town’s waterworks system.

Dolor personally appeared before the anti-graft court for his arraignment, during which the information containing the charge against him was read.

The case involves the allegedly disadvantageous privatization of the Bauan Waterworks System to Aquadata Water Services Provider.

A previous House inquiry found that the arrangement allegedly gave Aquadata 95 percent of net revenues while the Bauan local government received five percent.

Dolor was detained at the House of Representatives in March 2025 after being cited in contempt for failing to attend hearings on the waterworks deal. He was later released after the contempt order was lifted.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed the graft charge against Dolor on 8 June 2026. He has posted ₱90,000 bail.

Ang pleads not guilty in another graft case

Meanwhile, Uswag Ilonggo Party-list Rep. James “Jojo” Ang Jr. pleaded not guilty Tuesday before the Sandiganbayan Second Division in one of the 14 graft cases filed against him.

The Ombudsman earlier identified Ang as among the so-called “cong-tractors,” referring to lawmakers accused of maintaining financial interests in contracting firms that secured government projects during their terms.

Ang faces 14 counts of graft over alleged conflicts of interest involving government infrastructure contracts.

He was preventively suspended from the House for 90 days in September pursuant to Section 13 of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Ang has posted a total of ₱1.26 million bail for the 14 graft charges.