Cebu officials charged in P239-M scam

CEBU CITY — Eight former Cebu City officials, including ex-City Administrator Floro Casas, are now facing serious charges of malversation of public funds and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Sandiganbayan. Alongside them, three private individuals connected to the contractor Docast/JJ&J Construction are also named in the case.

The charges stem from alleged overpayments totaling ₱P239.7 million to the contractor through faulty, doctored, or incorrect billing — a financial blow that could have otherwise supported schools, hospitals, infrastructure projects, or disaster relief. The Ombudsman-Visayas filed the cases after ordering the dismissal of some internal administrative actions against the accused in March 2024.

The three private individuals facing the charges are Jayra Ruiz-Javier, authorized managing officer of Docast/JJ&J Construction; John David Javier, operations manager; and Erika Quino, an encoder.

Under the malversation charge, which is non-bailable, the officials allegedly allowed overpayment to the contractor. Meanwhile, the graft violation, for which a P90,000 bail was recommended, concerns granting unwarranted benefits to the contractors, causing undue injury to the city government.

The scheme reportedly dates back to 17 February 2021. The accused are charged under Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 for conspiring, through “manifest partiality, evident bad faith, or gross inexcusable negligence,” to give contractors benefits at the city’s expense.

Investigators outlined the alleged conspiracy in three key failures: first, a lack of proper verification, review, or monitoring of billing statements; second, failure to cross-check submitted bills; and third, allowing bills to include a rate three times higher than the contract rate. The city was allegedly billed P1,800 per ton for barangay garbage disposal, while the approved rate was only P600 — a staggering threefold increase.

The Ombudsman said there is “sufficient ground to engender a well-founded belief that the crimes were committed and that the accused are probably guilty thereof,” signaling a major breach in the city’s financial safeguards.

This case highlights what happens when systems designed to protect public funds fail, leaving vital community resources at risk and prompting calls for greater accountability in local government.