Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Ex-Nueva Ecija town mayor gets 10 years for unpaid cash advances

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THE Sandiganbayan has convicted former Laur, Nueva Ecija mayor Blas Canlas of malversation of public funds due to unliquidated cash advances dating back to 2006 totaling P3.51 million.

Associate Justice and Fourth Division chairperson Michael Frederick Musngi penned the 31-page decision dated September 2, 2025 that pronounced Canlas guilty of unlawfully misappropriating public funds entrusted in his custody as local chief executive.

Associate Justices Lorifel Lacap Pahimna and J. Ermin Ernest Louie Miguel concurred.

Canlas was sentenced to 10 to 16 years imprisonment, with perpetual disqualification from holding public office. He was also ordered to pay indemnity costs amounting to P3,508,342.96 to the municipal government of Laur.

“The accused miserably failed to prove that he indeed liquidated his cash advances. Thus, absent any evidence that the funds were used for a legitimate public purpose, there is sufficient proof that the accused committed malversation of public funds,” the court ruled.

According to the charge sheet filed in 2023, the former mayor drew cash advances multiple times for various reasons from January to December 2006.

Among the reasons given for the cash advances were “intelligence expenses” (P25,000), Investment and Travel Expo in Hong Kong (P219,298), World Forum in Canada (P189,400), telephone bills (P94,855.53), and several “unspecified” items in sums ranging from P29,824 to a couple of P1 million drawn November and December 2006.

The cash advances resulted in the filing of criminal charges after the Commission on Audit found that Canlas did not submit any liquidation and was unable to show proof that he properly liquidated the public funds received even after being notified of his unsettled accountabilities.

Save for his claim that he had fully liquidated his cash advances, the anti-graft court noted that Canlas offered no proof in support of his assertion.

“Lastly, there was no single iota of evidence to support the defense of the accused that he liquidated all his cash advances for the year ending 2006,” the Sandiganbayan said.

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