The Sandiganbayan has ordered the 90-day suspension of Mayor Oscar Montilla Jr. of Sipalay City, Negros Occidental, pending his graft case for delaying the implementation of the suspension of four city employees in 2008.
The antigraft court also ordered the 90-day suspension of three officials of the Department of Agriculture’s Davao City regional office, namely Melani Provido, Isabelita Buduan and Marie Ann Constantino over the irregular purchase of P3.04 million in disinfectants in 2012. The Fourth and Fifth Divisions, in tackling Montilla and the agriculturists’ cases, stressed that Section 13 of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act made it mandatory to suspend officials facing a valid graft case. Montilla was accused of delaying for years the enforcement of the Ombudsman’s suspension of Evangeline Señeres, Eva Sabusap, Fernando Balhin, Noel Villanueva and Renato Manilla for negligence. —VINCE F. NONATO