JANUARY 22, 2026 — Candaba, Pampanga is once more thrust into the spotlight as Mayor Rene Maglanque faces a 90-day preventive suspension ordered by the Sandiganbayan. The charges? Graft and malversation tied to the infamous ₱900-million Malampaya fund scam. The resolution, promulgated January 19, directs Maglanque to “cease and desist” from performing his duties as mayor.

Here’s the kicker: Maglanque isn’t just a name in the headlines. He’s a repeat player in controversies that refuse to die down. 

Prosecutors allege he pocketed commissions from Janet Lim Napoles herself, supposedly on behalf of former Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman. Funds meant for flood victims in 2009? Diverted to ghost projects. And yet, despite this baggage, he managed to win reelection in 2025. How does that happen?

But wait — there’s more. DPWH records show Maglanque’s company, Globalcrete Builders Inc., bagged nearly ₱1.9 billion worth of contracts between 2022 and 2024. Flood control projects in Bulacan, no less. The problem? Several expired without completion. 

Accountability? Missing. Delivery? Questionable. Maglanque admits to securing the deals but denies ghost projects or gambling links. Still, critics are quick to remind us of his pork barrel scandal days as a congressman.

So here we are again, Candaba caught in the crossfire of a mayor’s endless controversies. The Department of the Interior and Local Government has been tasked to enforce the suspension immediately. 

But what does this mean for ordinary Candabeños? For taxpayers who wonder where their money went? For flood victims who never saw the promised aid?

Him again? Will he never learn his lesson? Does his greed have no end? These are the questions echoing across Pampanga and beyond.

Public trust is fragile, and every peso lost to corruption is a peso stolen from the people. Because when leaders treat public funds like their personal wallet, the people are left paying the price.

(Image: Municipality of Candaba, Province of Pampanga)