Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

Daniza Fernandez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1782200909590450527532_122159074964180302_6644247879081430074_n (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Photo from Noel T. Dotillos - Borbon, Cebu/Facebook</em></span></span></span>MANILA — The Ombudsman has filed two separate graft cases against Borbon, Cebu Vice Mayor Noel Dotillos over an unauthorized bonus release and contracting of his wife in the municipality.</div><p>Borbon Municipal Budget Officer Teresita Cabahug was also charged by the Ombudsman over unauthorized bonus. The charges were lodged before the Cebu Regional Trial Court in Bogo City.</p><p>One of the cases stemmed from the P570,000 anniversary bonus released to municipal employees without an appropriation from the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) in 2019.</p><p>Dotillos and Cabahug countered that the absence of appropriation was just a procedural error and did not equate to graft.</p><p>They insisted that the bonus was approved, processed in good faith, and lawful.</p><p>The Ombudsman upheld its earlier finding of probable cause, rejecting Dotillos and Cabahug’s appeal.</p><p>“With no appropriation to support the subject disbursement, the Municipality of Borbon suffered undue injury in the amount of P570,000.00 as this sum was never supposed to be disbursed as an anniversary bonus,” the Ombudsman said.</p><p>“Simply put, the municipal government had no budget for an anniversary bonus, but respondents-movants authorized its grant anyway,” it noted.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/6/22/graft-charges-filed-vs-suspended-minglanilla-cebu-officials-1529">Graft charges filed vs suspended Minglanilla, Cebu mayor, vice mayor, councilors</a></div><p>The other case, meanwhile, was about the contract of service (COS) with his wife, retired Municipal Health Officer (MHO) Dr. Corazon Dotillos, in 2024 when he was the mayor.</p><p>The Ombudsman said the then-mayor did not seek an authorization from the Sangguniang Bayan, adding that prosecutors purported that the COS gave advantage to the wife and was prejudicial to public interest.</p><p>“The claim that there are no physicians available or willing to work as MHO in Borbon, Cebu, is self-serving. There is no proof that the plantilla item was ever published after respondent Corazon&#x27;s retirement, and any effort was made to secure a permanent appointment for such a position,” it said.</p><p>“Respondent Noel exhibited manifest partiality and/or evident bad faith when he renewed his wife&#x27;s COS on 15 April 2024 without securing the corresponding SB authorization,” the Ombudsman added, noting that contract renewals need the passage of a new SB resolution.</p><p>Dotillos may post bail of P90,000 per charge. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/2/2/sandiganbayan-denies-ex-cebu-mayor-s-bid-to-dismiss-graft-charges-over-waste-contracts-1239">Sandiganbayan denies ex-Cebu mayor&#x27;s bid to dismiss graft charges over waste contracts</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nAZZ-vToH14?si=mH_s2ILW2_RlySes" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

<p>The Ombudsman has filed two separate graft cases against Borbon, Cebu Vice Mayor Noel Dotillos over an unauthorized bonus release and contracting of his wife in the municipality.</p>

The Ombudsman has filed two separate graft cases against Borbon, Cebu Vice Mayor Noel Dotillos over an unauthorized bonus release and contracting of his wife in the municipality.

Borbon, Cebu Vice Mayor faces graft cases over 'unauthorized' bonus, hiring wife

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Borbon, Cebu Vice Mayor faces graft cases over 'unauthorized' bonus, hiring wife

Daniza Fernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 23, 2026 04:18 PM PHT

Read More:

Noel Dotillos

Ombudsman

graft

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