Bohol town mayor suspended

MANILA, Philippines — Mayor Leonila Montero of Panglao, Bohol has been ordered suspended for 90 days in connection with the charges filed against her before the Sandiganbayan over the alleged illegal hiring of municipal consultants in 2013.

Montero is facing four counts each of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and unlawful appointment for designating four losing local candidates in the May 2013 elections as consultants.

The Office of the Ombudsman said Montero defied the one-year ban in the appointment of losing candidates when he named Noel Homarchuelos as consultant for administrative services; Danilo Reyes, public information; Apolinar Fudalan, public information and IT, and Fernando Penales, engineering, each with a monthly salary of P25,000.

In a resolution promulgated on July 2 and released yesterday, the Sandiganbayan found no merit on Montero’s argument that there is no need for his preventive suspension because the ombudsman had finished its investigation.

The Sandiganbayan said incumbent public officials charged with a valid case information for graft, the Revised Penal Code or any offense involving public funds or property or fraud against the government shall be suspended from office under Section 13 of RA 3019.

“Such preventive suspension is mandatory and there are no ifs and buts about it,” the court said, citing a Supreme Court ruling.