DESPITE a 90-day preventive suspension order issued against him by the Sandiganbayan, Provincial Board (PB) Member Celestino “Tining” Martinez III still attended yesterday’s session.
Martinez said he has yet to receive the order. “We don’t have the copy of that yet. I attended the session because I might have been charged for dereliction of duty if I didn’t,” he told reporters.
He was among four officials involved in a 2002 case of alleged misuse of P15 million in pork barrel funds intended for an anti-drug abuse program of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP).
At the time the funds were released, Martinez was still mayor of Bogo City. In October 2013, Martinez ran and won as barangay chairman.
Martinez then won as the president of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) Cebu chapter in November, securing him a seat in the PB as ex-officio member.