Ex-Bohol mayor gets 48 years

 For P20,799.50 graft, falsification

MANILA, Philippines — Former mayor Apolinaria Balistoy of Cortes town in Bohol may spend up to 48 years in prison for falsifying liquidation documents for her cash advances amounting to P20,799.50 in connection with her unauthorized travels in 2010.

In a 39-page decision promulgated yesterday, the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division found Balistoy guilty of one count of graft and four counts of falsification of public documents.

She was sentenced to six to eight years in prison for graft, with the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

Balistoy was also ordered to indemnify the municipal government P20,779.50, which is equivalent to the cash advances she unlawfully received.

She was sentenced to four to 10 years in prison for each count of falsification of public documents and ordered to a pay a fine of P10,000 for each count.

“Despite the unbridled opportunity given to her, she failed to present countervailing evidence to refute the allegations hurled against her,” the court ruling read.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2016, the cases stemmed from Balistoy’s trips to Cebu City on Jan. 5, 20 and 21 and Feb. 4, 5, 26 and 27 in 2010 in the guise of official travels.

The ombudsman said the travels were not authorized by the office of the provincial governor.

Graft probers said Balistoy falsified certificates of appearance from the Civil Service Commission and forged the signature of the certifying officer from the CSC-Central Visayas public assistance and liaison division in four instances when she liquidated her cash advances.

The fifth division gave weight to the testimony of the supervising administrative officer from the office of the governor who confirmed that there was no record of any approved travel order or travel authority issued to Balistoy from January 2009 to June 2011.

“Using spurious documents and traveling without authority from the office of the governor undoubtedly demonstrate her corrupt motive,” the court said.

The fifth division also cited the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) that Balistoy’s cash advances in connection with her travels to Cebu City were tagged as “LGU operating expenses.”

The court noted that the COA issued a notice of disallowance due to irregularities related to the former mayor’s travels to Cebu City.