Graft charges filed vs Cebu officials

THE Office of the Ombudsman said on Monday it has filed graft charges against a Cebu mayor, vice-mayor, 11 municipal councilors and the town administrator in connection with the denial of a rehabilitation plan for a quarry site in Barangay Guindarohan.

In a statement, the Ombudsman said it filed the case before the Regional Trial Court in Naga City, Cebu after finding probable cause to charge the officials for the violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The case stemmed from the municipal government’s denial of a rehabilitation plan submitted by Jomara Konstruckt Corp. and Jomara Agri Foods and Supply Corp. following reports of ground cracks in a quarry site in Sitio Napo in December 2021.

The Ombudsman said the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) conducted a geohazard assessment that led to the issuance of a cease-and-desist order by the Environmental Management Bureau. The companies later submitted a rehabilitation plan, which was endorsed by environmental and mining authorities.

The Ombudsman found that the respondents acted with evident bad faith, manifest partiality or gross inexcusable negligence when they disapproved the rehabilitation plan despite the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ partial lifting of the cease-and-desist order to allow its implementation.

The office of the Cebu mayor did not immediately respond to a request for comment, sent through its official Facebook page. No statement has been issued regarding the filing of the case so far.

According to the statement, the respondents also disregarded recommendations from the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, MGB and the barangay government of Guindarohan.

The Ombudsman further said the officials’ actions resulted in an unwarranted benefit or preference to competitors and found indications of conspiracy among the respondents in the passage and approval of a 2022 municipal resolution denying the rehabilitation plan.

The complaint against the acting Sangguniang Bayan secretary was dismissed for lack of merit.

The filing of the criminal case follows the preventive suspension of the Cebu mayor, vice-mayor, and councilors in February. The suspension led to a reorganization of the town’s leadership, with local succession rules taking effect during the officials’ absence from office. — Mark Joseph M. Sanchez