By Lilian Mellejor – PNA News
DAVAO CITY — The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Region 11 arrested Tuesday the former mayor of the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS) in his residence in Barangay Miranda, Babak District.
Former IGACOS mayor Aniano Antalan, 78, is facing three counts of indirect bribery and two counts in violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
CIDG personnel arrested the former mayor based on the warrant of arrest issued by the Sandiganbayan on October 22, this year. He was required to post a bail bond of PHP30,000.
Antalan, who was mayor of IGACOS from 2012 to 2016, was found guilty of grave misconduct for receiving a PHP200,000 cash gift from a multi-purpose cooperative.
According to the Ombudsman, Antalan signed a memorandum of agreement with Coop-National Confederation of Cooperatives and the Samal Island Multi-purpose Cooperative (SIMC) for the implementation of micro-finance projects in 2012.
The funds were reportedly delivered to SIMC for the project amounting to PHP5 million through the Priority Development Assistance Fund of COOP-NATCCO. The cooperative received the funds on December 28, 2012.
Graft investigators found that SIMC gave PHP200,000 as a “gift” to Antalan.
In his counter-affidavit, Antalan did not deny receiving the cash of PHP100,00 in 2014 and another PHP100,00 in 2016. He said the money was given during the Christmas season and the value was insignificant to make him liable for graft.
The Ombudsman had earlier said the case against Antalan was not about the value he received but how it was used to favor SIMC.
Under the law, a public official is criminally liable when he is “directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share, percentage, or benefit, for himself or for any other person, in connection with any contract or transaction between the government and any other party, wherein the public officer in his official capacity has to intervene.”
