Ombudsman bars mayor’s reelection bid

SAN JOSE, Mindoro Occidental—Mayor Rep. Jose Villarosa—who was acquitted in the Quintos double murder case in 2008—may have to kiss his reelection bid goodbye.

This after the Office of the Ombudsman upheld its earlier decision imposing a lifetime ban on his reentering public service over the unlawful use of P2.9 million in San Jose town’s share of tobacco excise taxes in 2010.

At the time, Villarosa was the mayor of the province’s capital town, while his wife, Amelita, was the representative of its lone congressional district, as well as House deputy speaker.

Prior to that, Mayor Villarosa was the province’s representative when two sons of his political rivals, the Quintos family, were murdered and he was named as the mastermind.

This time, Villarosa was running for reelection as mayor of San Jose, a first-class municipality, under the United Nationalist Alliance of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales yesterday directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government to serve the ban on Villarosa, who was arrested by National Bureau of Investigation agents in Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental, last week in relation to the case.

Aside from Villarosa, the Ombudsman meted out the same penalty to dismissed officials—municipal accountant Pablo Alvaro and municipal treasurer Carlito Cajayon.

The three were charged with grave misconduct, dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. It also revoked their civil service eligibility and forfeited all their retirement benefits.

Farmers deprived

“The diversion of [the] funds resulted in the deprivation of farmers who were the intended beneficiaries,” Morales said in an e-mailed statement.

In February 2006, Villarosa was convicted by a Quezon City Regional Trial Court for his role in the 1997 killings of brothers Paul and Michael Quintos in Mamburao town.

The victims were the sons of former Rep. Ricardo Quintos, Villarosa’s staunchest political rival in the province.

The Court of Appeals, however, overturned the lower court’s decision two years later and ordered Villarosa’s immediate release from prison.

In recommending his indictment on 12 counts of graft and another 12 counts of technical malversation in the more recent case, the Ombudsman said Villarosa approved the release of the tobacco trust fund for the purchase 10 multi,cabs, Christmas lights, meals for barangay chairs, medicines and other items not allowed by law.

The Ombudsman said: “[The] funds should be used solely for cooperative, livelihood or agro-industrial projects that enhance the quality of agricultural products, develop alternative farming systems and enable tobacco farmers to manage and own postharvest enterprises.”