CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — A branch of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Iligan City has issued arrest warrants for three officials of Barangay 31 in connection with an alleged “ghost” basketball tournament project involving more than ₱151,000 in public funds.
The warrant, dated March 24, 2026, names Barangay Captain Diosdado Tacbobo Wabe, Barangay Kagawad Delia Tacbobo Wabe, and Barangay Treasurer Lycellie D. Quilantang.
The court set bail at ₱90,000 each for temporary liberty.
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The case stems from a complaint filed in 2023 by Lee E. Nellas, Flordeliz M. Java, and Rogelio M. Waniwan, alleging that in November 2018, barangay funds were disbursed for a month-long basketball tournament that allegedly did not take place.
The respondents previously claimed that the tournament occurred at the City Alliance Church and submitted photos to the Office of the Ombudsman for Mindanao as proof.
The Ombudsman later discovered that the respondents allegedly lifted the photos from the Calamba, Misamis Occidental municipal government’s official website.
The Ombudsman rejected the officials’ explanation, noting that they had sourced the photos submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) from online pages to falsely substantiate the basketball tournament.
The three officials face charges under Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which penalizes public officers who cause undue injury to any party or give unwarranted benefits through manifest partiality, bad faith, or gross negligence.
As of March 27, 2026, Delia Tacbobo Wabe has posted bail, while Barangay Captain Diosdado Wabe and Treasurer Lycellie Quilantang remain at large.
The court directed Iligan City Police Station 1 to serve the arrest warrants.
The court also mandated the use of at least one body-worn camera and an additional recording device to ensure transparency during the service of the warrants, in line with Supreme Court rules.
