Asst provincial treasurer suspended over Balili lot

The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended assistant Cebu provincial treasurer Manuel Guial for three months over the backfilling of the controversial Balili property in Naga City in 2012.

The Ombudsman found Guial, the provincial accountant at that time, guilty of simple neglect of duty for the release of P24,468,927.66 to develop the property.

The province purchased the 18-hectare property for at least P98 million.

Following a bidding, the province, then headed by governor Gwendolyn Garcia, awarded the contract to Supreme ABF Construction “for the supply and delivery of back-filling materials and other incidentals” for the submerged portion of the property.

But the Ombudsman said the Provincial Board did not authorize Garcia to enter into a contract to acquire the filling materials.

The Ombudsman also found Garcia guilty of grave misconduct.

Considering that she is now a member of Congress representing Cebu’s Third District, Garcia is now under the jurisdiction of the Lower House.

Guial said he will abide by the Ombudsman ruling.

In lieu of Guial’s absence, Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre said he had requested the Department of Finance to appoint a temporary acting assistant treasurer.

Salubre said it will be difficult to operate without an assistant because he is also the concurrent municipal treasurer of Borbon town. —

Lorraine Mitzi A. Ambrad Staff Member/JMO