THE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from service of Noel Taylaran Dotillos, the incumbent vice mayor and former municipal mayor of Borbon in northern Cebu.
The ruling stemmed from findings of grave misconduct related to illegal disbursements and unauthorized hiring.
The Ombudsman ruled that substantial evidence was presented to hold Dotillos liable.
He was meted the penalty of dismissal from the service with accessory penalties.
These include the cancellation of his civil service eligibility, perpetual disqualification from holding public office, a bar from taking civil service examinations, and forfeiture of retirement benefits.
If the penalty of dismissal is no longer enforceable due to separation from service, it shall be converted into a fine equivalent to one year’s salary, payable to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The July 18, 2025 decision resolved an administrative complaint filed by Emar Bascon Cuico, a resident of Borbon.
In a report from SunStar Cebu on July 28, Cuico was identified as the complainant.
The media reached out to Dotillos for comment on Thursday, October 16, but he declined to issue a statement, saying he would do so later. He only said that his camp is preparing a motion for reconsideration.
Charges and issues
The case centered on two main administrative charges against Dotillos and other municipal officials:
[]Anniversary bonus. The illegal grant of the 2019 anniversary bonus without a supporting appropriation ordinance.
[]Unauthorized hiring. The hiring of respondent Corazon V. Dotillos under a contract of service (COS) without prior authorization from the Sangguniang Bayan.
Administrative complaints dismissed against five officials
While Dotillos was dismissed, the Ombudsman cleared five other officials involved in the complaint.
The administrative complaint was dismissed for lack of substantial evidence against the following respondents: Noel Gomez Enriquez, Charmaine Marie Ceiano Alpino, Liezel Monilar Brian and Corazon Villareal Dotillos.
The complaint against former municipal budget officer Teresita Mangulat Cabarug was also dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.
Anniversary bonus
The Ombudsman focused on the P570,000 anniversary bonus released in 2019.
On March 27, 2019, a total of P570,000 was released to municipal government employees per a general payroll and disbursement voucher.
Each employee received P10,000.
The complainant claimed the funds were disbursed without the required appropriation ordinance or supplemental appropriation ordinance, in violation of Sections 305(a) and 321 of Republic Act (RA) 7160, or the Local Government Code of 1991.
The Ombudsman found that the grant was not supported by a proper appropriation, as supplemental appropriation ordinances for 2019 were passed only after the March 2019 disbursement.
Dotillos signed the disbursement voucher, relying on a mere Municipal Council resolution. The Ombudsman ruled that this was inadequate because an ordinance — not a resolution — is the proper lawmaking act for local fund disbursements.
This act violated Section 344 of the Local Government Code on local fiscal administration.
Unauthorized hiring
The second charge involved the hiring of Corazon Dotillos, the vice mayor’s wife, under a contract of service.
Corazon Dotillos, a former municipal health officer, reached the compulsory retirement age on October 5, 2021.
The Ombudsman reviewed the COS entered into by then mayor Dotillos on April 15, 2024.
Although the 2024 annual budget included a line item for “general services (job order),” the Ombudsman found that this provision was too general to cover the specific contract.
Dotillos failed to secure prior authorization from the Sangguniang Bayan before entering into the COS, violating Section 22(e) of the Local Government Code.
A subsequent SB resolution passed on October 7, 2024, did not cure the violation, as it merely ratified the action rather than providing the required prior authorization. (CDF)