The Office of the Ombudsman has placed Cebu Port Authority (CPA) General Manager Francisco C. Comendador III under a six-month preventive suspension over charges of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.
The preventive suspension order was signed directly by Ombudsman Crispin Remulla on August 20, 2026, and was received by the complainant on September 7, 2026.
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Oriental Port and Allied Services Corporation (OPASCOR), the exclusive cargo-handling operator at the Cebu International Port (CIP), represented by Executive Vice President and General Manager Atty. Resurrection Florimae C. Velasco.
According to OPASCOR, Comendador allegedly allowed vessels to dock and carry out cargo operations at the Cebu South Harbour and Container Terminal Corporation (CSHCTC) —a private commercial port in Talisay City—despite this being prohibited under CPA Administrative Order No. 02-2010.
Under the said policy, private ports may only accommodate vessels in cases of spill-over demand, emergencies, necessity, or port congestion at CPA-operated facilities.
Because of this, OPASCOR’s legal counsel stated that several shipping lines shifted operations from CIP to the private port, causing a drop in cargo throughput, ship calls, and port utilization.
In a nine-page order, the Ombudsman stated that the evidence against Comendador is strong enough to warrant placing him under preventive suspension.
“After a careful examination of the records and without delving into merits of this case nor prejudging the same, this office finds that the evidence against respondent Commendador is strong at this time,” the order read.
The anti-graft office clarified that the suspension is not a final ruling on the merits of the case, but rather a precautionary measure to prevent any potential tampering with documents or influence over witnesses.
While Comendador is suspended, Acting Deputy Manager Glenn Castillo will temporarily take helm of the CPA.
In a statement, Comendador said he is complying with the order, “In compliance with the order of the Ombudsman and to ensure the integrity and impartiality of the investigation, I will abide by the directive. I am currently consulting with my legal counsel to determine the appropriate legal remedies available to me.”
CHSTC started its construction in November 2018 during the Duterte administration where then Secretary Michael Dino of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) graced the ground breaking ceremony. The prominent backers of the project were businessman Johnny Ng of Davao and Lucio Co of Puregold. The project was undertaken during the term of former Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia -with CCO Tonton Antogop
(the ground breaking of CSHCTC where former OPAV Secretary Michael Dino graced the event)
