Upheld was the conviction of former Mayor Manuel A. Tio and Municipal Accountant Lolita I. Cadiz. Their motions to reconsider the Sandiganbayan’s ruling was denied in the SC decision written by Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta.
On July 29, 2008, Tio approved and authorized the release to Double A, the contractor, of P2.5 million as partial payment for the project. The disbursement voucher was also signed by Cadiz who certified that the documents for the issuance of the voucher were complete and the allotment was intended for the project. However, on Dec. 2, 2008, the Commission on Audit issued a notice of suspension on the payment.
During the proceedings in the Sandiganbayan, the prosecution submitted evidence that the project did not undergo public bidding as required by the law and that documents were incomplete to support the implementation of the project. “In fine, Tio acted with manifest partiality in awarding the road concreting project to Double A, in the absence of public bidding, which gave unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference to Double A.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)