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Pasig City Mayor Robert “Bobby” Eusebio and his wife, Maribel Andaya Eusebio, stand accused of sending millions of pesos from the city budget in the form of “aid” to the town where Maribel planned to run for congress, according to a complaint filed at the Ombudsman yesterday.
The graft complaint, filed by the non-profit group Tambuling Mamayan ng Pasig (TMP), or “Bugle of the People of Pasig,” alleges the ex-mayor sent PHP25 million (about US$480,000) to the town of Pamplona in Camarines Sur province. Maribel’s election bid was cut short when she was disqualified for not being a resident of the province, ABS-CBN News reported.
Also accused in the filing are incumbent Vice Mayor of Pasig City Iyo Christian Bernardo, nine Pasig city councilors, and Pamplona Mayor Augustus Cezar Cruz III.
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In a statement, TMP alleged that Eusebio entered into a “sister city agreement” with Pamplona that was signed on Aug. 22, 2018. Under the terms of that agreement, Pamplona would receive financial aid from Pasig City every year for five years.
“Clearly the intention was to give political advantage to Maribel Andaya Eusebio in her bid for a seat in the district at the House of Representatives during the forthcoming 2019 mid-term elections,” the non-profit watchdog added.
The Eusebio family had ruled over Pasig for more than 27 years before current Mayor Vico Sotto beat Bobby in the May election.
The Eusebios and their co-defendants have yet to issue a statement responding to the group’s allegations as of publication.
