Mayor Fernando Estavilla of Pres. Carlos P. Garcia town, along with several barangay officials, is facing allegations of election violations and is now under investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged administrative misconduct.
A clarificatory hearing for E.O. Case No. 22-169, which involves alleged violations of Section 261 (A), (J), and (Q) of the Omnibus Election Code, was scheduled last May 28, 2024.
The case, filed by Vicente B. Cutamora, a public complainant and municipal mayor candidate for Pres. Carlos P. Garcia in the next year’s election, accuses Estavilla and his co-respondents of vote buying, undue influence, use of public funds, and partisan political activity.
Cutamora, in a letter dated September 17, 2024, to Francisco Pobe, Region VII COMELEC Director, expressed concern over the delay in the resolution of his case.
He pointed out the urgency of the matter, stating that the respondents could repeat the same election offenses if the case remains unresolved before the campaign period for the next election.
In a separate development, the Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas received a complaint against Mayor Estavilla, alleging a pattern of unnecessary and excessive hiring of Job Order (JO) and Contract of Services (CoS) workers to reward political supporters.
The complaint, filed by an undisclosed taxpayer and concerned citizen, references findings from the Commission on Audit’s Annual Audit Report for 2022, which noted the absence of organizational structure, staffing pattern, and approved uniform policy and procedures in the recruitment and engagement of JO and CoS workers.
The complainant requests the Ombudsman to conduct an investigation and file appropriate charges against Mayor Estavilla.
Attempts to reach Mayor Estavilla and his legal representatives for comment have been unsuccessful as of this writing.