Newsman files graft raps vs Bulacan governor

A newsman and publisher of the oldest Malolos-based weekly has filed graft and corruption charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando and Vice Governor Alex Castro for implementing an illegal tax ordinance that increased real property taxes (amilyar) in the 20 towns of the province.

In a press conference in Quezon City, Orlan Mauricio, the complainant, said that aside from Fernando and Castro, also named in the graft case filed on 17 February 2025, were Bulacan Provincial Administrator Antonette Constantino, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Secretary Perpetua Santos, Fernando’s special assistant Mel Dimaano and Fe Alvarez, publisher of The Central Chronicle, a fly-by-night weekly newspaper.

In his 15-page verified complaint, Mauricio asked the Ombudsman to immediately halt the Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB) from collecting the increased real property taxes as outlined in Sanggunian Panlalawigan’s Kapasiyahan Blg. 538A-T 2023, which he claims is illegal and unenforceable (null and void) due to its failure to comply with the publication requirements mandated under Section 188 of the Local Government Code (RA 7160).

“The tax ordinance that increases the amilyar in the 20 towns of Bulacan is illegal because it was not published in a legitimate newspaper. Furthermore, the proper process was not followed in selecting the newspaper where it should have been announced,” Mauricio said.

The complaint highlights how Governor Fernando, even when he was still vice governor of the province starting in 2011, violated laws governing the publication of provincial ordinances (RA 9184, also known as the PhilGeps Law).

“Instead of posting the publication of provincial ordinances on the PhilGeps portal, Fernando secretly awarded publication contracts to his favored media friends,” Mauricio said. “He blatantly disregarded all the laws, especially in 2019 when he became governor.”

Kapasiyahan Bilang 538A-T 2023 became a provincial ordinance on 6 July 2023. It was published in The Central Chronicle on 28 August, 4 and 11 September 2023, despite the non-posting of its “Request for Quotation” on the PhilGeps website.

“What’s worse is that The Central Chronicle is not only a fly-by-night newspaper, but it was also blacklisted by the City of Malolos in a BAC Resolution dated 30 September 2022. Under the Uniform Guidelines on Blacklisting pursuant to RA 9184, a blacklisted entity is prohibited from doing business with the government for one year,” Mauricio explained.

“The ban on The Central Chronicle from receiving any procurement contract with any local government unit lasted until 30 September 2023. Therefore, the publication of the tax ordinance was illegal, null and void, and unenforceable,” Mauricio stressed.