The Office of the Ombudsman has filed graft charges before the Regional Trial Court in Naga City, Cebu against suspended Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad, Vice Mayor Elanito Peña, 10 members of the Sangguniang Bayan, and the municipal administrator over the alleged improper denial of a rehabilitation plan for a quarry-affected area in Sitio Napo, Barangay Guindarohan.
In a press release dated June 22, 2026, the Ombudsman said it found probable cause to charge the officials for violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Named respondents include Mayor Enad, Vice Mayor Peña, councilors Oscar Cañares Dela Calzada Jr., Samuel Gordsin Adlawan Jr., Jesus Denoyo Velez, Jeremias Llanos Cañares, Jaime Secretarya Caumeran, Jenifer Dejan Lariosa, Proserfina Laput Fajutrao, Jenny Zafra Young, Petronilo Entera Traya, and Rick Ryan Zafra, along with Municipal Administrator Junrie Casquejo Bragat.
The complaint stemmed from ground cracks reported at a quarry site in December 2021, which led to a geohazard assessment by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB). The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) later issued a cease-and-desist order due to safety risks in the area.
Following the findings, Jomara Konstruct Corporation and Jomara Agri Foods and Supply Corporation submitted a rehabilitation plan, which the Ombudsman said received technical recommendations from the MGB, EMB, and the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).
Despite this, the municipal government allegedly rejected the proposal and issued resolutions denying both the rehabilitation plan and related applications for a Special Waste Disposal Permit.
In its ruling, the Ombudsman said the respondents acted with “evident bad faith, manifest partiality, or gross inexcusable negligence” when they disapproved the rehabilitation plan despite a partial lifting of the cease-and-desist order by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
It also cited disregard of technical recommendations from environmental agencies.
“Not only did the respondents reject the recommendations of the DENR, but they also deliberately ignored the findings and recommendations of the PENRO, MGB, and the Sangguniang Barangay of Guindarohan, Minglanilla, Cebu,” the ruling stated.
The anti-graft body further said the officials gave “unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” when they disregarded the Environmental Management Bureau’s recommendations on the rehabilitation proposal.
The Ombudsman also pointed to what it described as coordinated actions among the officials, saying these acts “establish the existence of conspiracy” when the Sangguniang Bayan passed Resolution No. 271, Series of 2022, denying the rehabilitation plan, which was then approved by Mayor Enad.
The complaint against the acting Sangguniang Bayan secretary was dismissed for lack of merit.
The filing of the information formally elevates the case to the trial court following the finding of probable cause.
Enad, Peña, and the 10 councilors are currently under one-year preventive suspension imposed by the Ombudsman in February 2026.
The case traces back to a broader dispute over quarry safety concerns in Sitio Napo that earlier triggered administrative actions and public controversy.
Enad had previously defended the municipality’s decision, saying it was driven by safety concerns following reported ground movement in the area.
“If this is what I get from protecting Minglanilla, if this is the price of doing what’s right for my people, I would still stand firm with my resolve,” he had said in an earlier statement.
Following the suspension, Vice Mayor Peña assumed the role of acting mayor while the Sangguniang Bayan underwent interim leadership adjustments.
The case will proceed to trial before the Regional Trial Court in Naga City, Cebu.
Photo courtesy of Mayor Rajiv Enad / Facebook
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