The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the conviction of former Dapitan City mayor Joseph Cedrick Ruiz for malversation and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act involving nearly PHP 1 million in confidential and intelligence funds.
In a decision released Tuesday, the SC First Division upheld the Sandiganbayan’s ruling that found Ruiz guilty of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 and Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.
Ruiz, who served as mayor of Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte from 1998 to 2001, was found to have approved and received a cash advance of PHP 1 million—the city’s full allocation for 2001 confidential funds—just weeks before leaving office. The funds were supposedly for post-election security measures, despite objections from the city’s finance officials.
Deputy police chief Pepe Nortal, upon Ruiz’s instruction, requested the cash advance and turned the entire amount over to the mayor. Nortal said he received only PHP 50,000 for police operations and later filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman.
Ruiz denied receiving the funds, claiming Nortal made the request independently. However, both the Sandiganbayan and the Supreme Court rejected this defense.
The SC ruled that Ruiz acted in bad faith, citing his role in initiating and facilitating the disbursement despite prior unliquidated cash advances and objections from finance officers. The Court found that he circumvented proper procedures by using Nortal’s name while signing off as a co-requesting official and coordinating the fund release.
The Court emphasized that Ruiz’s actions harmed the city by depleting its 2001 confidential funds and forcing the realignment of resources. It also noted that if the funds were genuinely meant for security operations, the full year’s allocation should not have been requested all at once.
Ruiz was sentenced to up to eight years in prison for each count of violation, fined PHP 950,000—the amount of misappropriated funds—and permanently barred from holding public office.
The SC reiterated that public office is a public trust, warning that any official found enriching themselves at the government’s expense will be held accountable.