A FORMER mayor of a Negros Occidental town is facing two counts of graft and four counts of violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees or Republic Act 6713 before the Sandiganbayan.
The Office of the Ombudsman indicted Francisco Nazareno, the former mayor of Moises Padilla municipality, for failure to disclose two business interests in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth from 2007 to 2010.
Nazareno did not reveal that JF Merchandise was registered in his name, and that Juco Enterprises’ registration was in his wife’s name.
The Ombudsman’s field investigation unit in Iloilo City said during his incumbency, Nazareno approved the mayor’s permit of JF Merchandise and Juco Enterprises in violation of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
It invoked Section 8 of RA No. 6713 that says public officials and employees have an obligation to accomplish and submit declarations under oath of, and the public has the right to know, their assets, liabilities, net worth, and financial and business interests including those of their spouses and unmarried children 18 years of old living in their households.
RA 3019’s Section 3(h) prohibits public officials from directly or indirectly having financing or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest.