FORMER Aloguinsan, Cebu Mayor Augustus Caesar Moreno and another town official were found guilty of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act (RA) 3019 for their involvement in the anomalous purchase of food supplies in 2010.In its 38-page decision issued on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022, the Sandiganbayan Third Division found Moreno guilty for violating Sections 3(e) and 3(h) of RA 3019.Also found guilty was former municipal bookkeeper Evangeline Manigos for violating Sec. 3(e) of RA 3019.The two were sentenced to six to 10 years imprisonment and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.The Sandiganbayan has also ordered the issuance of arrest warrants for Cynthia, Moreno’s wife and former Aloguinsan mayor, and members of the town’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), namely Pepito Maguilimotan, Nonela Villegas, Marilyn Flordeliza and Gertrudes Ababon, who remain at large.Bakeshop ownerThe case stemmed from two complaints filed against Moreno and his wife over their town’s transactions with AVG Bakeshop, which is owned by Cynthia.Moreno and members of his BAC were charged for allegedly taking part in 29 purchases of food supplies from AVG Bakeshop totaling P282,725 that were found irregular.Cynthia and five other officials were charged by the Ombudsman when it found that the transactions caused undue injury to the government and gave unwarranted benefits to Cynthia’s bakery.In their decision, the Sandiganbayan Third Division said Moreno and Manigos committed “manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence” when they allowed repeated procurement of food supplies from the bakery owned by Cynthia.They committed the violation disregarding the fact that Cynthia owned the bakery and had a direct interest in the transaction; they failed to conduct public bidding and even split the contracts to avoid conducting such, and they gave unwarranted benefits and advantages to AVG Bakeshop.“Clearly, accused Augustus Moreno actually participated or intervened in his official capacity in connection with his interest in the transactions of the municipality of Aloguinsan with AVG Bakeshop. His participation is evident throughout the procurement process, from initiating the procurement of food supplies to signing the disbursement vouchers and other procurement documents. He signed and approved the procurement documents, thereby showing his actual intervention to the transactions. As municipal mayor and head of procuring entity, his participation was indispensable considering that the award of contracts and payment to AVG Bakeshop could not have been made without his signature and approval,” the decision added.In court beforeThis was not the first time that Moreno and his wife had tussled with the anti-graft court.In 2013, Cynthia, who was the mayor of Aloguinsan then, was suspended for 90 days over a 2007 case in which she led the purchasing of construction materials allegedly without bidding.After she was suspended, her husband, who was then vice mayor, took over as acting mayor.In 2015, Cynthia and her husband were ordered suspended in relation to a 2008 sale of damaged dump trucks owned by the Aloguinsan Municipal Government.