MANILA, Philippines – “Politically motivated,” is how Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro described the Office of the Ombudsman’s six-month preventive suspension order against him.

He alleged in a statement that the suspension order was meant to block his candidacy as Marikina 1st District representative.

“Ako ay isang biktima ng political persecution,” Teodoro claimed. (I am a victim of political persecution.) Despite his suspension, the Marikina mayor remains a candidate in the midterm polls, he clarified.

The Ombudsman suspended Teodoro and 18 other city officials over alleged misallocation of P130 million worth of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation funds.

Instead of using the funds for health purposes, the city government reallocated the money to IT equipment, ND repair and maintenance of infrastructure assets, among others. Marikina resident Sofronio Dulay filed the complaint.

Teodoro approved the ordinance enacting the reallocation on September 8, 2023, according to the Ombudsman decision.

The suspension order, dated March 21, was released to the media on March 25 — a few days before the campaign for local elections kicks off on Friday, March 28.

A statement from Vice Mayor Marion Andres and 11 of the suspended councilors said they were not officially notified of Dulay’s complaint.

“Hindi maikakaila na isa itong political bullying, tahasang pagtatangkang pahinain ang ating lokal na pamahalaang buong pusong naglilingkod sa tao,” they said in their statement.

(It cannot be denied that this is political bullying, an outright attempt to weaken our local government that serves the public wholeheartedly.)

Marikina Councilor Bong Magtubo, one of the five councilors left, told Rappler in a message that the Department of the Interior and Local Government will be the agency to assign the officers-in-charge in lieu of the suspended mayor and vice mayor.

“Hopefully this week baka maayos na,” Magtubo said. (Hopefully, it can be fixed this week.)

Magtubo said in a separate statement that he argued in the session where the council discussed the matter that the funds should only be used for health programs. Most of his fellow councilors “did not favor” this reasoning, Magtubo said.

“Ang pangyayaring ito ay hindi tungkol sa kaninong pulitiko kundi pananagutan ng ating kapasyahan bilang lingkod-bayan,” he said. (This is not about politics but about our being accountable for our decisions as public servants.)

The Commission on Elections previously canceled Teodoro’s certificate of candidacy due to a residency issue. Teodoro’s wife, Marikina 1st District Representative Marjorie Ann Ang-Teodoro, is running for the mayoral post against Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo.

Meanwhile, former House deputy speaker Miro Quimbo is seeking a congressional post too.

Teodoro only alluded to the opposing camp in his statement but did not name anyone.

“Sa desperadong pagtatangka na sirain ang aking pangalan, nagsampa sila ng maraming gawa-gawang kaso laban sa akin simula pa noong nakaraang taon sa Ombudsman, COA, Comelec, Civil Service, at iba pang ahensya ng gobyerno,” Teodoro said.

(In their desperate attempts to smear my name, they filed made-up cases against me since last year, at the Ombudsman, COA, Comelec, Civil Service, and other government agencies.)

Rappler has reached out to Stella Quimbo for comment but has yet to receive a response.

– Rappler.com