Daily TribuneCourt records showed that after a failed public bid, the contract was eventually awarded to Caroline through his brother who was the chairperson and had control over the procurement process as head of the procuring entity
The Sandiganbayan has dismissed the motion of a former barangay chairperson and former treasurer in Ifugao to drop the graft case filed against them over the irregular awarding of a P67,200 contract for a horsepower speedboat to the village chief’s sister.
In an eight-page decision, the Sandiganbayan Seventh Division revealed that there was no compelling argument in the motion of former Barangay Dulao chairperson Roy Hunnob and barangay treasurer Salvador Galeon that can merit a reconsideration of its previous appealed judgment.
To recall, Hunnob and Galeon sought the reversal of the court’s November 2023 ruling, affirming Lagawe, Ifugao Regional Trial Court Branch 14 decision, which sentenced the two to up to nine years behind bars for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
They were charged with the offense for awarding a contract worth P67,200 to Hunnob’s sister, Caroline Hunnob, for the fictitious delivery of a 25-horsepower speedboat in July 2007.
The anti-graft court said Hunnob and Galeon gave Caroline unwarranted benefits, advantages, or preference in the discharge of their official administrative functions through manifest partiality and evident bad faith, feloniously causing undue injury to the government.
Court records showed that after a failed public bid, the contract was eventually awarded to Caroline through his brother who was the chairperson and had control over the procurement process as head of the procuring entity, which the Sandiganbayan stressed that it “spells nothing but suspicion of favoritism and anomalies in the execution of public contracts.”
In their bid to obstruct the progression of the case, Hunnob and Galeon contended that conspiracy in the case was not supported by evidence, saying they did not have a hand in the selection of Caroline as the supplier.
However, the prosecution firmly maintained that conspiracy exists as evidence on record proved that the respective actions and participations of Hunnob and Galeon led to the consummation of the crime charged.
“Roy Hunnob awarded the contract to his sister and Salvador Galeon made it possible by releasing the public funds involved,” the prosecution said.
The Sandiganbayan also said that there was a clear inclination to favor Caroline, adding that assuming that the two failed biddings preceded the award of the contract, the procurement process is still within the control of Hunnob as the head of the procuring entity.
“This conveniently cleared the path for his very own sister to be awarded the procurement contract, uncontested by anyone else,” the anti-graft court said.
