MANILA, Philippines – Actor and Quezon City Councilor Roderick Paulate was charged at the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan for hiring and paying fake contractors for 5 months that cost the Quezon City local government P1.109 million.

Paulate, who was already a councilor in 2010, hired and paid 30 fake contractors “for personal gain”, according to the charge sheets filed by Ombudsman prosecutors before the Sandiganbayan on April 20, copies of which were released to media on Wednesday, April 25.

Paulate faces one count of graft and 9 counts of falsification of public documents.

Paulate stands to pay P246,000 in total bail if and when the court finds probable cause to order his arrest.

His graft charge is for causing undue injury to the government when he “caused the hiring of the following fictitious job contractors in his office for his personal gain.”

The contractors were paid from July to November 2010, amounting to a total of P1.109 million.

His falsification charges stem from falsified job orders, payroll, and salaries which appeared to have been personally received by the fake contractors.

Charged with Paulate was his driver and liaison officer Vicente Esquilon Bajamunde for collecting the salaries with Paulate’s authorization letter. – Rappler.com