Ex-Misamis Oriental guv gets 10 years over missing SUV parts

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan sentenced a former Misamis Oriental governor for the missing spare parts and two government vehicles assigned to him during his terms in office.

In its decision, the anti-graft court also ordered Antonio Calingin, ex-Misamis Oriental governor, to pay more than P2 million as indemnification for the missing parts and accessories of two Toyota 4x4 Hi-Lux vehicles assigned to him during his term from July 1998 to July 2004.

In 2003, the Office of the President found Calingin guilty of dishonesty, gross negligence and grave misconduct, and suspended him for six months without pay.

In an effort to retrieve the government-issued vehicles, two letters were sent in 2004 demanding the return of the vehicles.

The Provincial Retrieval Team organized by then Governor Oscar Moreno also discovered that the vehicles were placed in a warehouse in Claveria, Misamis Oriental and were also "cannibalized," rendering them unserviceable.

The ex-governor's co-accused in the malversation case, Mario Calingin, was acquitted for insufficiency of evidence.