The Office of the Ombudsman ordered Borbon vice mayor Noel Dotillos dismissed from government service for grave misconduct over two municipal consultancy contracts with his retired wife that lacked prior council authorization.

Key Takeaways

  • The contracts covered October 2023 to October 2024, when Dotillos was mayor.
  • The Ombudsman dismissed a separate administrative charge of nepotism.
  • A previous dismissal order was reversed by the Court of Appeals in February 2026.

Why the Borbon vice mayor was ordered dismissed

In a decision dated Oct. 15, 2025, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla found Dotillos administratively liable for contracts with Dr. Corazon Dotillos, the former municipal health officer. She had reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in October 2021 and received two six-month extensions before continuing to work under contracts of service at 3,500 Philippine pesos per day.

The Ombudsman found that contracts covering Oct. 18, 2023, to April 18, 2024, and April 18 to Oct. 18, 2024, lacked prior authorization from the municipal council. Although council resolutions supported the contracts, the decision found that they did not identify the periods authorized. The records also lacked a specific appropriation ordinance for the consultancy that could have provided an exception to the authorization requirement.

The penalty includes cancellation of civil service eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits except leave credits, and perpetual disqualification from government service. The separate nepotism charge was dismissed under Civil Service Commission rules providing exemptions for consultants and certain engagements involving people who have reached compulsory retirement age.

Earlier dismissal and separate criminal case

Dotillos argued that no other physician was willing to take on the work and that he held final authority to appoint the municipal health officer. Borbon resident Margarito Ornopia Jr. filed the complaint that led to the ruling.

In February 2026, the Court of Appeals reversed an earlier dismissal order involving the unauthorized hiring of his wife and 570,000 pesos in municipal anniversary bonuses released without a proper appropriation ordinance. The court found that an October 2024 council resolution effectively ratified the April 2024 contract and that there was no substantial evidence of corruption or a willful violation of the law.

The latest administrative decision addresses two consecutive contracts and the absence of prior authorization. In a separate criminal matter, the Ombudsman found probable cause in July 2026 to charge Dotillos with five counts each of alleged violations of two provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

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