Aurora mayor, councilors face raps for fund misuse

BALER, Aurora, Philippines  – This town’s mayor and nine councilors are facing graft charges for allegedly misusing the municipal funds.

Charged before the Office of the Ombudsman for Luzon were Mayor Nelianto Bihasa and Councilors Pedro Valenzuela, Danilo Ong, Gina Ritual, Reynaldo Mapindan, Gina Agapito, Ramir Duaso, Meinrado Tropicales, Noel Go and Felipe Friginal.

Also included in the charge sheet were municipal human resource officer Curie Bernardino and budget officer Francisco Reopta.

The complaint was filed by Vice Mayor Karen Angara-Ularan, who said the accused violated Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and RA 6713 or the Code of Ethical Conduct for Public Officials and Employees.

Ularan said the respondents took the funds of the municipal council and declared it as savings.

She said the money was also used to pay for the salaries of job order workers.

Ularan said before taking the funds, Bihasa wrote the municipal council on Oct. 15, 2014 asking approval for a supplemental budget to augment the funds of the municipal government and pay the workers.

The vice mayor refused as the funds would be taken without consulting her, the administrative head of the Sangguniang Bayan.

Due to Ularan’s objection, Bihasa reportedly did not sign and vetoed the ordinance. The councilors agreed to stay the veto and voted to remove Ularan’s objection.

The vice mayor said the veto, having been stayed, showed there was no approved ordinance.

On Nov. 21 of the same year, Ularan requested Bihasa to release the funds for her office. She said it took a month before the mayor approved her request.

She said she found out that the money had been taken out.

“Mayor Bihasa, the SB members alone or as a collegial body cannot declare any budget under the office of the vice mayor as savings or use it to pay for job orders,” she said adding there was realignment, diversion and misappropriation of funds.