Ex-mayor’s liability over town hall fire affirmed

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

February 19, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has affirmed its earlier ruling finding a former town mayor in Nueva Ecija liable for the P21.99 million in property losses caused by a fire that destroyed the municipal hall in 2013.

The COA denied the appeal of former mayor Arvin Salonga of San Antonio town to reverse the audit body’s May 2022 decision, which found him liable for the incident.

The COA noted that Salonga, who was found guilty of negligence, filed a request for relief from property accountability in July 2016 or more than three years after the fire occurred in June 2013.

The audit body said Salonga could not use the reason that he was no longer mayor at the time of the incident.

The COA said Salonga argued that the fire occurred 22 days before his term as mayor ended, but only acted on the matter when he was reelected in 2016.

Salonga also failed to secure an insurance coverage for the town hall, in violation of Republic Act 656 or the Property Insurance Law, which requires local government units to insure their property.

The COA noted other events and circumstances including the removal of all closed-circuit television cameras installed in the municipal hall days before the fire occurred.