Ex-mayor to spend 18 yrs in jail for giving project to his firm

Former Mayor Alfredo Castillo Jr., of Alfonso Castañeda town, Nueva Vizcaya province, has been sentenced to up to 18 years in prison by the Sandiganbayan for awarding two infrastructure projects to a private company he partly owned in 1999.

Besides Castillo, the antigraft court’s Special Third Division also meted out a prison term of up to eight years on former Councilor Andres Camana for falsification of public documents.

Apart from his jail term, the court also imposed a lifetime ban on Castillo from working in the government for violating the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

In a 60-page ruling, the court said prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman were able to prove that the former mayor was part owner of Lotus Designs, a construction firm which won contracts to build the municipal gym and the Lublub-Dibilit Road.

It said the company’s articles of incorporation showed that Castillo was among its registered incorporators and stockholders.

“Documentary and testimonial evidence indubitably establish that no public biddings were actually conducted for the construction of the Lublub-Dibilit Road and the gymnasium of the municipality of Alfonso Castañeda,” the court said.

According to the court, the bidding documents were “prepared and submitted to make it appear that the construction of the said projects complied with laws, rules and regulations to the procurement of government infrastructure projects.”

It also noted that Castillo, as the chief local executive, headed the pre-qualification bids and awards committee  which granted the construction projects to Lotus Designs.

The court said Castillo violated the law against conflict of interest.