4 Quezon town execs suspended for graft

MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has suspended four municipal officials in Mulanay, Quezon province in connection with the allegedly anomalous procurement of a generator set in 2013.

In a resolution promulgated on Nov. 6, the anti-graft court ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to implement the 90-day suspension without pay order against municipal engineer Delio de Leon, planning and development coordinator Marissa Cortez, budget officer Noel Eroa and revenue collection clerk II Marina Palillo.

The suspension of the four officials stemmed from charges of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act filed against former mayor Joselito Ojeda.

The officials were named respondents in the case against Ojeda.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2019, the case stemmed from the municipal government’s purchase of a generator set amounting to P500,000.

The ombudsman said Ojeda and the officials conspired to award the procurement contract to a non-eligible supplier.

De Leon was chairman of the bids and awards committee while Cortez, Eroa and Palillo were BAC members at the time of the procurement.