Ex-Kalinga mayor, wife indicted for graft

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has filed criminal charges against a former municipal mayor of Kalinga province and his wife for allegedly extorting money from a private firm.

Former Tabuk town mayor Camilo Lammawin Jr. and his wife, Salud, were indicted for graft and bribery before the Sandiganbayan.

Ombudsman assistant special prosecutor Karen Funelas said the Limmawin couple reportedly asked and received P520,000 from Rodman Construction and Development Corp. (RCDC) in exchange for the release of the payment for a government project.

Probers said the charges stemmed from a complaint filed by RCDC treasurer Susan Rodriguez, who alleged the former mayor refused to release the P2-million payment to the firm for a completed project.

The ombudsman found out that RCDC deposited P100,000 in the former mayor’s bank account at the Philippine National Bank and P300,000 in another account at the Land Bank of the Philippines. 

Graft investigators said the P2 million was allegedly released to the private contractor on the day the amounts were deposited in the banks.

“We give credence to the statement of the complainant that the amounts she deposited in the bank accounts of the respondents were extorted from her,” the ombudsman said.