The Sangguniang Panlalawigan, six members of which are facing a petition questioning their right to their positions, has been asked anew to pass a resolution concurring with the appointment of Senen S. Razal as head of the Provincial General Services Office (PGSO).
But what differentiates today’s situation from that faced by the former provincial board membership which rejected the appointment multiple times is that the former Pandan OIC-municipal treasurer now faces a complaint for malversation of public funds and violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Last June 11, 2026, Pandan Mayor Honesto C. Tabligan II filed the complaint-affidavit against Razal, Revenue Collection Officer Ma. Ana I. Tabirara, and former Mayor Raul E. Tabirara before the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon.
The chief executive of the province’s northernmost town was left with no option but to file the complaint on behalf of the LGU after going over information gathered during an investigation conducted on orders of the former mayor.
Tabligan stated in the complaint that one of the issues he faced when he assumed office was the alleged mismanagement, misappropriation, negligence, alteration and other culpable violations of laws discovered during an audit by the Provincial Treasurer’s Office which was eventually validated by the LGU investigation team and concurred by the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) regional office.
On Oct. 14, 2025, the office of Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza sent a letter to the Office of the Mayor regarding the 3rd Indorsement-Letter from the BLGF dated Sept. 16, 2025.
Attached to the agency’s letter was a resolution, prepared by special investigator Ferdinand Z. Javier and approved by Regional Director Jessie B. Doctolero, stating that there is substantial evidence that warrant appropriate legal action against the then OIC-treasurer.
Three days later, the mayor requested authorization from the Sangguniang Bayan for the filing of the case, with the latter forwarding the resolution giving conditional authority on Jan. 26, 2026.
A month later, Tabligan sent e letter to the governor containing a copy of the resolution and seeking enlightenment on the proper action.
According to the complaint-affidavit, the LGU internal auditor, Uressa Lopez, reported to then Mayor Tabirara the cash accountability and other irregularities attributed to Razal and the respondent treasury staff on August 12, 2024 but the chief executive apparently took no action.
Ten days later, two personnel from the PTO – Agnes Escaro and Exaltacion Vargas – conducted its regular verification and review of cash accountability of assigned MTO personnel.
In the case of then OIC-treasurer Razal, it was found that the official incurred a cash shortage or undeposited cash collection amounting to P1.65 million.
The probe unearthed falsified and altered Official Receipts, including OR 0218167 reflecting in the original OR the amount of P50,000 but with the altered copy reporting only P5,000 as actual collection.
Other Ors reflected higher amounts of payments but less than half of the amounts were reported in the altered copies as actual collections.
On the other hand, it was discovered that checks intended for government settlement had been encashed and that ORs were not issued for collections and Accountable Forms were kept hidden.
The other treasury employee was also found to have a cash shortage amounting to P420,891.71, based on the LGU investigation although partial settlement had been made, leaving a balance of P273,078.64.
As for Razal, a similar settlement of the cumulative undeposited collections from Oct. 11, 2023 to Aug. 8, 2024 had been recognized, with a balance of P98,844.49.
Ex-Mayor Tabirara faces the same charges for allegedly consenting to the irregularity, negligence and failure to take action despite the recommendation to file charges against the erring personnel.
The graft case against Razal surfaced almost at the same time that a quo warranto petition was filed before the Regional Trial Court by Atty. Leo Z. Mendoza, Ronaldo A. Tivar and Rodrigo B. Turado seeking to unseat six temporary Provincial Board Members.
The petitioners, who are bonafide members of the Lakas-CMD Party, filed the suit against Acting PBMs Gil L. Alintana, Gregorio E. Angeles, Aida A. Dianela, Virginia D. Sanchez, Joy Z. Tamayo and Adrian B. Torcelino, who filled in part the temporary vacancies in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan caused by the six-month suspension of Vice Governor Robert A. Fernandez and 10 board members.
The petition questions the legal right and authority of the respondents to hold the positions and asks the Court to oust and exclude them from the board, claiming that they lack the legal qualifications for said positions as their designations are violative of the 1987 Constitution, the Local Government Code of 1991, Administrative Order No. 15, and DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2019-21.
“The Respondents are not bonafide members of the Lakas-CMD Political Party and in fact were also endorsed or recommended by the incumbent Provincial Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza who is not also a Lakas-CMD member and never a provincial chairman of the said political party,” the petition stated.
It cited the provisions DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2019-21 mandating that temporary vacancies be filled up through a designation to be issued by the DILG Secretary from the list of nominees from the same political party under which the Sanggunian member who caused the vacancy had been elected.
The same provisions also state that, among others, the person seeking to be designated must not be holding an elective or appointive position in government at the time of his designation.
The petitioners also alleged that the designation letters meant that the temporary PBMs substituted for the suspended PBMs in a different district, although reports say that the concerned documents had already been corrected at the DILG central office prior to their designations.
They likewise identified Alintana as an incumbent barangay kagawad but Alintana has claimed he resigned from the position upon being informed of his nomination.
The DILG was also cited as failing to immediately post on the DILG website and in three (3) conspicuous places in the LGU concerned a notice calling for the nomination of replacements, among others, and the creation of a screening committee.
Aside from praying for the ouster of the respondents and declaration of their designations as “null and void”, the petitioners also asked the Court for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction or writ of quo warranto and to pay the respondents moral and exemplary damages as well as attorney’s fees.
During the clarificatory hearing conducted last Friday, July 3, 2026, RTC Branch 42 Presiding Judge Maria Theresa A. Cerillo ordered the petitioners – Atty. Leo Z. Mendoza, Ronaldo A. Tivar and Rodrigo B. Turado – to submit evidence that they failed to submit the electronic PDF copies due to a computer glitch.
Pursuant to Administrative Matter (A.M.) No. 10-3-7-SC, or The Revised Guidelines on Submission of Electronic Copies of Supreme Court-Bound Papers Pursuant to the Efficient Use of Paper Rule, the electronic copy must be an exact replica of the filed hard copy, including all annexes, attachments, and exhibits.
The electronic copy, required in PDF (Portable Document Format) with text-based encoding, is usually saved on a compact disc (CD) or USB flash drive, accompanied by a signed certification that it is a faithful reproduction of the hard copy filed.
It is usually filed together with or within a fixed period after the filing of the hard copies and any deviation from this must be properly explained in a motion for extension or with leave of court.
The Court also noted that the counsels for the petitioners – Atty. Mendoza himself and Atty. Oliver T. Rodulfo – did not file a Notice of Appearance as required under Sections 3 and 7 of OCA Circular No. 343-2024.