Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla approved a second dismissal order against Borbon Vice Mayor Noel Dotillos for grave misconduct over hiring his retired wife without prior Municipal Council authorization.
The penalty includes cancellation of Dotillos’ civil service eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and a permanent ban from government service, following a complaint filed by Borbon resident Margarito Ornopia Jr.
The ruling addresses two unauthorized service contracts from October 2023 to October 2024 paying P3,500 daily, following a previous Court of Appeals reversal of a prior dismissal order in February 2026.
THE Office of the Ombudsman has issued a second dismissal order against Borbon Vice Mayor Noel Dotillos for grave misconduct over the unauthorized hiring of his retired wife.
The anti-graft office ruled that Dotillos, during his tenure as mayor, hired Dr. Corazon Dotillos under contracts of service without securing prior authorization from the Municipal Council. A separate nepotism charge was dismissed, as the Administrative Code of 1987 and Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules exempt retired physicians engaged for consultancy work from bans on appointing relatives.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla approved the Oct. 15, 2025 decision, which resolved a complaint filed by Borbon resident Margarito Ornopia Jr. The penalty includes the cancellation of civil service eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits (excluding leave credits) and a permanent ban from government service. Dotillos won the vice mayor’s seat in the 2025 midterm elections, while his son, Nico, was elected mayor.
Service extensions
Dr. Dotillos previously served as Borbon’s municipal health officer (MHO). When she reached the mandatory retirement age of 65 in October 2021, the CSC granted service extensions until October 2022. Following the lapse of these extensions, the Municipal Government continuously hired her under service contracts for P3,500 a day.
Under the Local Government Code, or Republic Act (RA) 7160, a mayor cannot enter into a contract on behalf of the Municipality without prior authorization from the Municipal Council. The Ombudsman found that two consecutive contracts spanning Oct. 18, 2023, to Oct. 18, 2024, lacked this approval. Finding no evidence of an appropriations ordinance for consultancy services that would serve as an exception, the Ombudsman declared the lack of authorization a “manifest intent to violate RA 7160.”
The conflict traces back to October 2020, when the Municipal Council passed a resolution endorsing Dr. Nestor Casas for the MHO position as Dr. Dotillos neared retirement. Dotillos declined to appoint Casas and hired his wife instead. In his counter-affidavit, Dotillos claimed the resolution endorsing Casas was falsified and argued the P3,500 daily pay was undervalued. He maintained that no other physician was willing to accept the role and that the final hiring authority belonged solely to him as the local chief executive.
Previous dismissal
This is the second time the Ombudsman has ordered Dotillos dismissed over these contracts. An earlier case, filed by Emar Bascon Cuico, resulted in a July 2025 dismissal order for grave misconduct concerning a 2019 anniversary bonus and the April 2024 contract with his wife.
The Court of Appeals (CA) reversed that first dismissal order in February 2026, allowing Dotillos to return to office. The appellate court ruled that Municipal Council Resolution 186, passed on Oct. 7, 2024, effectively ratified Dotillos’ earlier lack of authority. The CA found no substantial evidence of corruption or flagrant disregard of rules, though it urged him to be more circumspect.
The Ombudsman’s new decision addresses the same April 2024 contract, alongside the preceding six-month contract covering October 2023 to April 2024. Contrasting with the CA’s interpretation, the Ombudsman’s updated contract record lists Resolution 186 as the authorization for the succeeding contract (October 2024 to April 2025), rather than as a ratification of the earlier unauthorized agreements. / CDF, KAL