Key Points
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.
Prosecutors allege the officials acted with "evident bad faith" by repeatedly rejecting a rehabilitation plan for a quarry site in Barangay Guindarohan despite approvals from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Mayor Enad stated the charges did not involve corruption or misuse of public funds, asserting that the actions were intended to protect lives and the environment, and vowed to face legal proceedings.
SUSPENDED Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad defended his administration’s integrity after the Office of the Ombudsman announced Monday, June 22, 2026, that it had filed graft charges against him and 11 other municipal officials before the Regional Trial Court in Naga City.
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 said they would continue to respect the law and the institutions tasked to uphold it while standing by their duty to serve the public.
The case before the court following the Ombudsman’s finding that the Municipal Government repeatedly refused to approve a rehabilitation plan submitted by Jomara Konstruct Corp. and Jomara Agri Foods and Supply Corporation for a site in Sitio Napo, Barangay Guindarohan.
The anti-graft body found probable cause to charge Enad, Vice Mayor Elanito Peña, 10 Municipal Council members, and Municipal Administrator Junrie Casquejo Bragat with violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The case involved 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 (CDO).
The complainants later submitted a rehabilitation plan to address safety concerns.
The Ombudsman ruled that the Minglanilla officials acted with “evident bad faith, manifest partiality, or gross inexcusable negligence” when they rejected the Rehabilitation Plan despite the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) partial lifting of the CDO to allow its implementation.
“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 of the plan 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.
The complaint against the acting Sangguniang Bayan secretary was dismissed for lack of merit.
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.
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. / CDF