A Regional Trial Court judge has suspended two barangay officials from office and ordered their arraignment on Thursday for charges of allegedly falsifying public documents in Calatrava town, Negros Occidental.

San Carlos City RTC Branch 57 Judge Rodney Bolunia in an order dated June 28 suspended Barangay Minapasok chairman Serafin Natial from office for 60 days and barangay treasurer Jolly Allanic for 90 days with credit for the period of suspension previously served.

In his five-page order, Bolunia reinstated the preventive suspension of the accused, which had been previously lifted.

Court records showed that Natial and Allanic were accused of forging the signatures of barangay kagawads Teofilo Treyes Jr. and Rolando Sapa on an Abstract of Bids.

The accused initially questioned the case, saying that it was not under Section 13 of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Bolunia, however, said that because what was falsified will prompt the government to disburse public funds, the charge involves fraud upon government or public funds or property.*PP

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