CA UPHOLDS DISMISSAL OF FORMER SILANG, CAVITE MAYOR

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing a former Cavite mayor and several others from the service over lapses in procurement related to the town’s fiesta celebration.

The Office of the Ombudsman had found Silang Mayor Kevin Alston Anarna and members of the Bids and Awards Committee administratively liable for Grave Misconduct and Serious Dishonesty.

It also perpetually disqualified them from holding public office.

The case stemmed from the release of public funds to an unqualified supplier of lights and flowers for the Silangueño Ball in celebration of the Feast of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in 2023.

The Commission on Audit (COA) had flagged the procurement as irregular and unlawful because several bidding and procurement documents were dated or issued only after the event had taken place.

The event was held on Jan.28, 2023 while the BAC resolution recommending the award was issued and approved only on Feb. 10, 2023 or 13 days after.

The former Silang mayor and Bids and Awards Committee chairperson Nathaniel Anarna Jr. challenged the Ombudsman’s ruling before the Court of Appeals, contending that the decision was issued prematurely because they were still contesting the COA findings.

They said they only committed a minor documentation lapse and did not intend to violate the Government Procurement Reform Act.

They added that the supplier was qualified and not given preferential treatment.

However, the CA’s Twelfth Division was not convinced and upheld their dismissal in a decision issued on April 23, 2026 and penned by Associate Justice Emilio Rodolfo Legaspi III.

According to the CA. the fact that the former mayor and the other accused have a pending appeal on the COA findings did not make the Ombudsman’s ruling premature, since the decision was based on a separate complaint and its own investigation.

It also said that they were not denied due process because Mayor Anarna was able to submit his reply to the COA.  

The Appellate Court likewise mentioned the statements of two BAC members that the Bids and Awards Committee never convened to deliberate on the procurement and that no formal bidding was conducted.

The BAC members also said they were pressured to sign the procurement documents.

Another issue raised was that the supplier had no valid business permit when it was awarded the contract.

“In view of these irregularities, this Court concurs with the Office of the Ombudsman in finding petitioners administratively liable for Grave Misconduct and Serious Dishonesty,” the CA said.

In October 2024, the Ombudsman ordered Anarna’s dismissal from office and barred him from holding a government post after it found him guilty of grave misconduct and serious dishonesty.

Though Anarna was reelected in the May midterm polls, he was disqualified by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), which cited the Ombudsman’s ruling.