Ex-Panglao mayor gets 40 years for graft

MANILA, Philippines — Former mayor Leonila Montero of Panglao, Bohol may spend up to 40 years in prison after she was convicted of graft over the illegal hiring of consultants of the municipal government in 2013.

In a 49-page decision promulgated on Wednesday, the Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division found Montero guilty of four counts of violation of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

She was sentenced to six to 10 years in prison for each count and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.

The sixth division also ordered Montero to reimburse the Panglao municipal government a total of P1.3 million, which is equivalent to the salaries paid to the consultants.

The court, on the other hand, acquitted Montero of four counts of unlawful appointment under Article 244 of the Revised Penal Code for failure of the prosecution to prove her guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2018, the cases stemmed from Montero’s hiring of four losing local candidates in the May 2013 elections as consultants on a job order basis. The four had  a monthly salary of P25,000 each.

The ombudsman said Montero defied the one-year ban in the hiring of losing candidates. The consultants were  hired without any contract of service or an appointment paper approved by the Sangguniang Bayan, it added.

The sixth division said the ombudsman’s prosecution panel was able to prove that Montero acted in bad faith and gave  unwarranted benefits to the consultants.