Negros mayor gets 9 years over P60 M graft
The mayor of Canlaon City in Negros Oriental and several other incumbent and former city officials have been sentenced to up to nine years in prison in connection with anomalous loan contracts.
In a resolution issued on Nov. 29 and released yesterday, the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division found Mayor Jimmy Clerigo, Vice Mayor Chubasco Cardenas, Councilors Diego Santiago and Mamerto Bernil Jr. as well as city treasurer Ma. Luisa Luza guilty of violating Section 3 (g) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Former councilors Roberto Bolo, Amado de los Reyes, Pedro Montero, Aldin Avila and Wagner Cardenas were convicted of the same offense.
Former Canlaon mayor Judith Cardenas was meted up to 18 years in prison after she was found guilty of two counts of graft.
The respondents were also perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
Graft probers said the respondents approved two loan contracts with the Canlaon City Government Employees Multi- Purpose Cooperative (CCGEMCO) in 2005 that were found to be “manifestly and grossly” disadvantageous to the government.
The Office of the Ombudsman said the respondents “conspired” to obtain a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) for supposed livelihood assistance for city hall employees amounting to P60 million, which they reloaned to CCGEMCO members.
The court said the city government instead of CCGEMCO shouldered the interest of the loan when the respondents gave the DBP “unqualified authority” to apply a loan guarantee debited from the city government’s special savings deposit and shares in the internal revenue allotment.
“The situation was tantamount to assigning the full control of the city’s coffers to an entity that had nothing to do with the administration and management of the city,” the Sandiganbayan stated in its ruling.
The good intention of the project was “imminently jeopardized” because the fund only benefited certain city hall employees who are members of CCGEMCO and not those who were truly in need of assistance, it added.