THE Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday ordered the filing of one count of graft and four counts of unlawful appointment under Article 244 of the Revised Penal Code against Bohol's Panglao Mayor Leonilo Montero.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio- Morales also ordered Montero’s three-month suspension for simple misconduct.
In July 2013, Montero appointed four losing candidates in the 2013 elections as consultants with a monthly wage of P25,000.
He hired Noel Homarchuelos as municipal administrator and consultant for administrative services, Danilo Reyes as public information consultant, Apolinar Fudalan as public employment service office coordinator/information technology consultant and Fernando Penales as infrastructure engineering consultant.
The consultants were hired on a job order basis to serve the mayor without executing any contract of service or issuance of any appointment paper duly reviewed and approved by the Sangguniang Bayan.
Upon investigation, the Ombudsman found the contracts and daily time records of the four consultants were not available.
In a 2013 annual audit report, the Commission on Audit determined the “the payment of their services was effected even without their duly approved accomplishment reports and individual contracts in violation of Section 4(6) of the Government Auditing Code.”
“The Local Government Code provisions prohibit and disqualify Hormachuelos, Reyes, Fudalan and Penales within one year after such election to be appointed to any public office in the government,” the decision read.
“Respondent in appointing them to vital positions in the municipality, certainly granted them unwarranted benefits and caused due injury to the government equivalent to the amount of the compensation they received during the time of their temporary disqualification.’
In another development, ex-mayor Amer Sampiano of Balabagan, Lanao del Sur is facing five counts of violation of Section 8 of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees or Republic Act No. 6713 in connection with the non-filing of his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2008-2012.