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Cebu Port Authority General Manager Francisco Comendador III filed a 21-page motion for reconsideration to lift his 60-day preventive suspension, which the Ombudsman imposed on August 20, 2026
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The suspension stems from a complaint by cargo-handling firm OPASCOR, which accuses Comendador of letting vessels shift from Cebu International Port to a private terminal, cutting Cebu International Port’s cargo throughput
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Comendador calls the case “premature” and the suspension “unnecessary, unjustified, and grossly disproportionate,” pointing to an existing joint CPA-DOTr committee already investigating the matter
Cebu Port Authority (CPA) General Manager Francisco Comendador III is seeking to overturn his preventive suspension, filing a 21-page motion for reconsideration that pushes back on the allegations behind the Ombudsman’s order.
The Office of the Ombudsman placed Comendador under a 60-day preventive suspension on August 20, 2026, following a complaint from Oriental Port and Allied Services Corp. (OPASCOR), a cargo-handling services provider at Cebu International Port (CIP).
READ: Ombudsman suspends Cebu Port Authority GM
OPASCOR’s complaint accuses Comendador of violating CPA Administrative Order No. 02-2010 by allowing vessels to dock at Cebu South Harbor and Container Terminal Corp. (CSHCTC), a private commercial port in Talisay City. OPASCOR alleges this shift caused cargo to move from CIP to the private terminal, reducing CIP’s cargo throughput, ship calls, and overall utilization. The complaint also faults Comendador for allegedly failing to address OPASCOR’s concerns over revenue remittances and cargo-handling fee violations.
Under AO No. 02-2010, private commercial ports are allowed to accommodate port users only in cases of emergency, necessity or congestion at government ports and upon written authority of CPA.
In his motion, Comendador argues that “the complaint is premature and contravenes settled administrative doctrines.” He contends OPASCOR’s claims lack factual and legal basis, and that existing rules do not grant OPASCOR exclusivity over cargo-handling at CIP. He further argues that shipping lines make their own independent commercial decisions on which terminal to use, meaning the shift in vessel traffic cannot be attributed to any action on his part.
Comendador described the preventive suspension as “unnecessary, unjustified, and grossly disproportionate,” and noted that the CPA and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) have already formed a joint committee to investigate the matter — which he argues makes the suspension premature.
The Ombudsman has yet to rule on Comendador’s motion for reconsideration. The outcome will determine whether he returns to his post at CPA before the joint CPA-DOTr investigation concludes, or remains sidelined for the duration of the 60-day suspension period. —Roumina Pablo
