A group of boatmen, anti-corruption advocates, and concerned citizens from Pagsanjan, Laguna staged a protest on Tuesday in front of the Supreme Court (SC), calling for the immediate enforcement of the graft conviction of former Laguna Governor Emilio Ramon “ER” Ejercito.
One of the protesters on Tuesday, June 10, demanded accountability and adherence to the rule of law, urging the Supreme Court to issue its final ruling without further delay.
“Kaya kami nagpunta dito dahil inaalam po namin na mapabilis ‘yung desisyon ng Korte Suprema na maiimplement po agad kasi nagdesisyon na yung Graft and Corruption na nai-file namin sa kanya noon,” one of the protest organizers said.
Ngayon po inaalam namin na mapabilis lang ang implementasyon at kami ay okay na po,” he added.
The SC had earlier upheld Ejercito’s conviction on graft charges stemming from a 2008 case involving illegally awarding a contract to an unlicensed insurance company with no public bidding.
He was sentenced to six to eight years of imprisonment and was perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
Despite SC’s decision, Ejercito was elected mayor of Pagsanjan in the May 2025 midterm elections.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) previously stated that the ruling was not yet considered final and executory at the time of his candidacy due to a pending motion filed by Ejercito’s legal team, which caused delays in implementation.
The protesters, which included around 50 participants representing some of the town’s 1,975 registered boatmen, expressed frustration over the prolonged delay.
