Plunder and graft charges were filed on Monday against the incumbent mayor of Trece Martires City in Cavite before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Businessman Alex Peñalba, who is also running in the city mayoralty race, said he has voluminous documents obtained from the Commission on Audit detailing the alleged abuses and violations of Mayor Melandres De Sagun, Vice Mayor Alexander Lubigan, members of the city council and officials of the city’s budget, treasurer’s and accounting office.
Peñalba’s move is expected to heighten the political tension in a three-way fight in the city, already declared an election hotspot by the Comelec and the Philippine National Police.
Peñalba said he decided to file the cases against De Sagun and the other city officials amid threats against his life and his family.
The Commission on Audit took note in its 2010 up to 2014 findings of numerous violations of government guidelines upon audit of the city’s finances.
It cited the first notable violation in the annual report for 2010 which “revealed that some disbursement vouchers for payment of infrastructure projects, procurement and transfer of funds amounting to P66,370,741.20 were paid by the City Government without complying with the pre-audit mandate of CoA-Circular No. 2009-002 dated May 18, 2009.”
Other CoA guidelines were similarly violated that year with amounts involving millions of pesos.
Also alleged in Peñalba’s complaint were the CoA findings of the city’s “failure to properly document, account and provide specific guidelines for financial assistance grants amounting to P34,818,381.22, thereby understating the Donations account and overstating the Other Maintenance and Operating Expenses and Other Payables.”