Ex-Mayor of Cebu town charged over P17-k honorarium mess

The former mayor of Sibonga, Cebu has been formally charged at the Sandiganbayan for alledgedly illegally receiving a total honorarium of P17,512.50 from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) in 2015.

Lionel Bacaltos, husband of incumbent Sibonga Mayor Caroline Bacaltos, will face one count of violation Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the Sandiganbayan.

The Office of the Ombudsman had accused Bacaltos of "acting with manifest partiality, evident bad faith and/gross inexcusable negligence" when he unlawfully received the PhilHealth honorarium.

Investigation showed that in 2012, PhilHealth sponsored a health care program providing honorarium for the staff of the municipal health office amounting to P280,197.

Bacaltos included himself in the list of honorarium recipients in February 2015. This, despite not being a member of the municipal health office.

"He was not entitled to receive it since the said honorarium was exclusively given and intended for the municpal health personnel, and accused was not a member of the municipal health personnel, thereby causing undue injury to the government," the charge sheet read.

A bail bond of P30,000 has been recommended in the case. —NB, GMA News