Biliran councilors who got travel funds but didn’t travel charged

TACLOBAN CITY—Three councilors of Caibiran town in Biliran are facing charges at the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas for malversation of public funds and dishonesty.

The complaint against Councilors Marilyn Jaboco, Edwin Pantas and Gerry Colantro were filed by their colleague in the council, Councilor Rommel Berdal.

Berdal claimed that his three colleagues submitted fake documents in their liquidation report for a seminar in Pasay City, which he said they didn’t attend.

He asked the antigraft body to suspend his three colleagues “to prevent them from exerting any influence on witnesses and documentary pieces of evidence pending investigation.”

Colantro claimed that the complaint was politically motivated.

“It’s nothing but a prelude to the 2013 elections. But we will answer the complaint filed against us,” he told the Inquirer in a phone interview.

Berdal belongs to the Nacionalista Party while the three respondents are part of Lakas-Kampi.

In a two-page complaint-affidavit, Berdal claimed that his colleagues processed and submitted papers to liquidate their travel to Pasay City on Sept. 5 to 7, 2011, purportedly to attend a seminar.

But Berdal said the three councilors didn’t attend the 18th annual congress of Women Involved in Nation-building at Heritage Hotel.

Berdal and the three councilors were issued a travel order by Caibiran Mayor Eulalio Maderazo on Sept. 2, 2011, to attend the seminar. Each councilor received P19,720 in allowance, airfare and transportation.

But Berdal said he was surprised that Jaboco, Pantas and Colantro submitted their liquidation report when he knew that they didn’t attend the annual congress.