Vice governor suspended over ‘anomalous’ disaster fund use

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May 30, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The vice governor of Catanduanes has been suspended along with 11 members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in connection with alleged irregularities in the use of the province’s emergency funds.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered Vice Gov. Robert Fernandez and his co-respondents suspended without pay for six months.

The suspension stemmed from a complaint filed by Gov. Patrick Alain Azanza, who accused Fernandez and the provincial board members of grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

In his complaint, Azanza claimed the respondents revised the proposed allocation of the quick-response fund. He said the respondents used P26 million of the P30.5 million-QRF for cash assistance instead of procuring goods for victims of Super Typhoon Uwan in November.

The ombudsman said Azanza had vetoed the action of the respondents. It said the Joint Memorandum Circular 2013-1 does not include cash assistance among the allowable immediate response activities.

The anti-graft body said it found sufficient grounds to preventively suspend Fernandez and the board members as the “evidence of their guilt is strong.”

The ombudsman said that the respondents’ stay in office may prejudice the investigation of the case filed against them, hence the preventive suspension.

“There is also a need to preserve the documents and evidence pertaining to this case, (over) which they may have control and custody, to avoid further commission of malfeasance and/or misfeasance in office,” state prosecutors said.