The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft charges on June 22, 2026, against suspended Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad, Vice Mayor Elanito Peña, and 10 municipal councilors before the Regional Trial Court in Naga City. The charges stem from the officials' repeated rejection of a rehabilitation plan for a quarry site in Barangay Guindarohan, despite approvals from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Mayor defends actions as pro-environment
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page, Enad said the indictment did not involve corruption or the misuse of public funds. “The graft case filed against me and the members of the Municipal Council did not stem from greed or personal gain, but from our sincere desire to protect the lives of the people of Minglanilla and to safeguard the environment,” he said. Enad added that they would continue to respect the law while standing by their duty to serve the public.
Details of the case
The case involves ground cracks reported at a quarry site in Barangay Guindarohan in December 2021. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau conducted a geohazard assessment, prompting the Environmental Management Bureau to issue a cease-and-desist order. The complainants later submitted a rehabilitation plan to address safety concerns.
The Ombudsman found probable cause to charge the officials with violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. The anti-graft body ruled that the Minglanilla officials acted with “evident bad faith, manifest partiality, or gross inexcusable negligence” when they rejected the rehabilitation plan despite the DENR’s partial lifting of the cease-and-desist order to allow its implementation.
Ombudsman cites deliberate disregard
“Not only did the respondents reject the recommendations of the DENR, they also deliberately ignored the findings and recommendations of the Penro [Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office], MGB and the Sangguniang Barangay of Guindarohan, Minglanilla, Cebu,” the resolution said. The Ombudsman said the rejection gave an “unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” to business competitors and cited the passage of SB Resolution 271, series of 2022, which denied the rehabilitation proposal and was approved by Enad.
Officials indicted
Aside from Enad and Peña, the indicted officials include councilors Oscar Cañares Dela Calzada Jr., Samuel Gordsin Adlawan Jr., Jesus Denoyo Velez, Jeremias Llanos Cañares, Jaime Secretarya Caumeran, Jenifer Dejan Lariosa, Proserpina Laput Fajutrao, Jenny Zafra Young, Petronilo Entera Traya, and Rick Ryan Zafra. The complaint against the acting Sangguniang Bayan secretary was dismissed for lack of merit.
Enad vows to face charges
Enad said the charges were painful but vowed to face them through the legal process. “Dili nako malimod nga sakit ni para namo, but we will face this challenge through the proper legal process. Limpyo ang among konsensya. Tin-aw ang among katungdanan ug baruganan: Katawhan Una sa Tanan,” he said. (I cannot deny that this is painful for us, but we will face this challenge through the proper legal process. Our conscience is clean. Our duty and position are clear: People First.)
Enad, Peña, and the 10 councilors are currently under a one-year preventive suspension order issued by the Ombudsman in February.
