Corruption raps vs former Malabon dad, children junked

MANILA, Philippines—The Sandiganbayan has acquitted a former Malabon councilor and his two children of criminal charges stemming from accusations that salaries were paid to the siblings even though they did not always report for work in their father’s office.

Cleared of corruption and estafa charges were former councilor Benjamin Galauran and his children Marilou and Alniño, who used to work as the official’s legislative assistant and messenger/driver respectively.

In time records the Galaurans signed, it was shown that Marilou reported for work from August 1998 to February 2002. Alniño, on the other hand, claimed he worked from August 1998 to May 2001.

During that period, Marilou was attending classes at the Our Lady of Fatima University while Alniño was schooling at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

Marilou’s salaries during the time period had amounted to P91,471, while Alniño’s wages totalled P43,729.

The Galauran children had countered that they had fulfilled their duties by working for their father even at odd hours, and had also skipped classes so they could go to work.

The Sandiganbayan Special Second Division, in a ruling signed by Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos, said the Galauran children had shown no bad faith or manifested partiality by receiving salaries for the work they had done. Nor were they given unwarranted benefits, it added.

“In view of the unrebutted averments given by the accused Galauran children that they rendered service during the periods in question, their receipt of salaries corresponding thereto does not in any way partake of bias or disposition to favor them,” it said.