Cagayan vice governor suspended for 90 days

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August 6, 2026 | 12:00am

BATAC, Ilocos Norte, Philippines  – A local court has suspended Cagayan Vice Gov. Manuel Mamba for 90 days as he is facing trial for alleged violation of Republic Act (RA) 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

In a five-page ruling dated July 28, Judge Felix Salvador of the Batac Regional Trial Court Branch 17 granted a motion filed by the complainants – Cagayan third district Rep. Joseph Lara, his wife Zarah and their lawyer Victorio Casuay – to suspend Mamba.

The court denied Mamba’s motion to quash the information.  

The court said the suspension is allowed under Section 13 of RA 3019 once a valid information is filed and an arrest warrant is issued against the defendant.

The suspension does not necessarily constitute a finding of guilt, but is intended to prevent the defendant from intimidating witnesses, and tampering with records and pieces of evidence.

Records showed that on March 26, the RTC found probable cause to charge Mamba for allegedly violating Section 3(f) of RA 3019, and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Mamba posted bail on March 30 before the 7th Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Piat-Sto. Niño, Cagayan.

The charges stemmed from a complaint filed by the Lara couple, owner of  JLL Pulsar Construction, which handled several infrastructure projects when Mamba was governor.

The complainants said that despite repeated demands, the provincial government under the then leadership of Mamba refused to release the payment for the contract.

The camp of Mamba said the contractor refused to personally receive payment in the form of checks, a policy imposed by the provincial government for projects flagged by the capitol’s inspectorate team.

Mamba said the policy requiring contractors to personally claim checks as payment was intended to protect public funds and ensure that projects met government standards.

He said he has yet to receive an official copy of the court order, and would appeal the suspension.