Ex-Iloilo town execs cleared of graft, malversation

MANILA, Philippines — A former mayor of Sara town in Iloilo and two other former municipal government officials have been acquitted of the charges filed against them before the Sandiganbayan.

In a 62-page decision promulgated on Thursday, the anti-graft court’s sixth division dismissed the charges filed against former mayor Neptali Salcedo, former municipal treasurer Edna Pacrim and former municipal engineer Roel Salcedo.

Forty-six counts each of graft and malversation through falsification of public documents were filed against the three over alleged irregularities in the payment of wages for various projects from 2004 to 2007.

The prosecutors, citing findings of a special audit team, questioned the validity of payments made to workers worth P1.834 million.

It cited similarities in the signatures affixed in the payroll and the changes made in the time, period covered and the projects that the workers were paid for.

However, the sixth division said the prosecution failed to show the connection of the supposed irregularities to the former mayor and municipal engineer.

While there were people who testified that they neither worked for any of the projects nor received any money even though their names appeared in the payroll, the court said the prosecutors failed to show that they were the ones being referred to in the document.

“While accused Pacrim failed to ensure that the listed payees affixed their signatures to the pertinent documents, there is nothing... that will  prove that the payees were not paid the amounts they were entitled to,” the court said.

It said the prosecution failed to establish the supposed damage suffered by the government as there was no evidence that the projects were fictitious or non-existent.