Iloilo town mayor, 2 others suspended for fund misuse

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  – The Sandiganbayan has suspended the mayor of Sara town in Iloilo and two of his employees over graft charges filed against them for alleged misuse of public funds.

Sara Mayor Neptali Salcedo, municipal engineer Roel Salcedo and former municipal treasurer Edna Pacrim were suspended for 90 days in a ruling penned by Associate Justice Gregory Ong of the Sandiganbayan’s fourth division.

Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., who filed the complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman, alleged that sometime in May 2006, the three officials connived with each other when they caused the payment of P300,000 for the construction of a farm-to-market road from Barangay Domingo to Barangay Muyco in Sara town and from Sitio Kapinayan, Domingo to Sitio Sincua in Lemery.

A report of the Commission on Audit (COA) showed that the projects were overpriced because it only involved the repairs and not the construction of new roads.

Tupas also filed 30 counts of malversation and falsification of public documents against the three for the P1.8-million labor payroll. 

Graft charges were also filed against the three for authorizing the payment of P1 million to the Sara Caltex station for fuel and lubricant used in several road repair and expansion projects. 

COA said there was an excess payment of P153,721 because the amount of fuel consumed for the projects was only P846,279.

Sara municipal legal officer James Balsomo said they have not received a copy of the Sandiganbayan as of last Friday. 

Balsomo said Salcedo will seek every legal remedy to oppose the 90-day preventive suspension.