Iloilo vice mayor faces graft raps for favoring wife's firm in P5.36-M construction deal

The vice mayor of Dingle, Iloilo has been formally charged before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly favoring a business entity owned by his wife for several construction projects in the municipality.

Based on the case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman, Vice Mayor Rufino Palabrica III will face four counts of violation of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Records showed that Palabrica, then serving as municipal mayor, "willfully, unlawfully and criminally" intervened in the awarding of a P5.36 million contract which was entered by the local government with Tri-B Marketing from 2007 to 2009.

Tri-B is owned by his wife, Theresa Palabrica, but was registered under the name of her dummy Eden Casteneda, according to the Ombudsman.

The contract was for the concreting, rip-rapping, widening and construction of the drainage system at Espino Street, and construction of the drainage at Aportadera Street worth P1.89 million in December 2007 and the concreting of a portion of Pototan-Dingle Road worth P1.79 million in September 2008.

The local government also awarded Tri-B the concreting of Camambugan-Caguyuman Barangay Road amounting to P733,794 in February and the construction of a home technology building at Rufino Palabrica Sr. National High School worth P953,271.64 in March 2009.

The Ombudsman said the business interest of Palabrica's wife in a government contract violated Section 89 of the Local Government Code of 1991 and Section 7(a) of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standard for Public Officials and Employees.

A total bail bond of P120,000 has been recommended in the case. —NB, GMA News

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