Mayor Noel Dotillos of Borbon town in northern Cebu | Mayor Noel T. Dotillos – Borbon, Cebu FB
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A barangay captain from Borbon town in northern Cebu has filed a nepotism and graft complaint against the incumbent municipal Mayor Noel Dotillos.
Margarito Ornopia Jr., the captain of Brgy. Don Gregorio Antigua, lodged the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas on Wednesday, October 16.
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Ornopia’s complaint is based on the alleged continued hiring of the mayor’s wife, Doctor Corazon Dotillos, as the municipal health officer even after her retirement from service.
In his complaint, Ornopia claimed that the hiring of the mayor’s wife was “grossly disadvantageous” to the municipality and in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Ornopia said that last October 12, 2020, the municipal council approved Resolution No. 120, Series of 2020 endorsing Doctor Nestor Casas for the appointment as the new municipal health officer.
This was because Doctor Corazon Dotillos, who was the consultant at the time, was on her retirement age.
Despite the council’s recommendation, the mayor allegedly did not give the position to Casas when his wife retired.
Instead, he allegedly appointed his wife to continue being the consultant on a contract basis.
With this, the mayor’s wife received a salary of P3,5000 on a daily basis.
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According to Ornopia, the mayor continuously renewed his wife’s contract of service long after its expiration and without consulting the municipal council.
Recently, Dotillos allegedly renewed his wife’s contract of service as consultant from April 18, 2024 to October 18, 2024.
Ornopia claimed that the continued renewal of the contract of service of the mayor’s wife without authority from the council despite the presence of other capable candidates would constitute to nepotism, which was prohibited under the Civil Service Act of 1959.
Moreover, he said that the payment of remuneration more than the existing salary of the Municipal Health Officer was tantamount to giving unwarranted benefits. This was also in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Ornopia’s suspicion is that the incumbent mayor has a “hidden agenda” as to why he has been appointing his wife as municipal health officer over other qualified candidates.
Through his complaint, Ornopia wishes for the issuance of a preventive suspension against Dotillos.
The incumbent mayor will be facing administrative and criminal charges for alleged nepotism and graft.
Mayor Dotillos, for his part, opted not give any comments on the matter as of this writing.
However, he implied that the complaint was not unexpected as election season was drawing near through a post on his social media page on Friday, October 18.
Dotillos added that he had become used to this as Ornopia had been making similar complaints since 2016.
In the 2025 midterm elections, Dotillos will be running for vice mayor of Borbon while his son, Nico, is hoping to assume his father’s position as mayor.