Twenty local officials suspended, dismissed for various charges as election season begins
By Ronron
January 15, 2007
Manila - As the election season officially began on Monday, 20 officials from different local government units in various parts of the country were either suspended or dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for different charges.
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno told a news conference yesterday at the DILG office in Quezon City that ordered dismissed were the following: 1) Jaen, Nueva Ecija Mayor Prospero Esquivel; 2) Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas, Sr., and, 3) Provincial Board Members Cecilia Capadosa and 4) Domingo Oso, Jr.; and, 5) Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad, 6) Vice Mayor Antonio Calixto, 7) City Councilors Richard Advincula, 8) Lexter Ibay, 9) Jose Antonio Roxas, 10) Noel Bayona, 11) Ernel Regino Arceo, 12) Editha Vergel de Dios, 13) Marie Irish Pineda, and 14) Greg Paolo Alcera.
Those suspended, on the other hand, were the following: 1) Panglao, Bohol Mayor Doloreich Dumaluan, for six months, and 2) her municipal accountant, Elvira Clenuar, for one month; 3) Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro Mayor Joel Panaligan, for six months; 4) Aguilar, Pangasinan Mayor Ricardo Evangelista, during the pendency of the case, but not more than four months; 5) Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental Mayor Joniper Villegas, for six months and one day; and, 6) Batangas Governor Armando Sanchez, during the pendency of the case but not more than six months.
Puno said the suspension orders against Panaligan, Evangelista, and Villegas were already served over the weekend, while those of the rest, except for Sanchez, and those for dismissal were set to be implemented yesterday.
Puno disclosed that an opinion from the Department of Justice on the case of Sanchez is still being awaited by the DILG since a preventive suspension is supposed to be covered by the election ban.
“We are requesting opinion from the Department of Justice, because the orders were received and the implementation orders were signed prior to the election ban, whether (or not) it can be implemented during the period of the election ban,” Puno explained.
“There is still a legal question as to whether or not the preventive suspension by the Ombudsman is covered by the election ban,” he added.
Puno said Undersecretary Wencelito Andanar was to fly in yesterday to Iloilo to serve the suspension order against Tupas, Capadosa, and Oso, while the rest will be served of either their suspension or dismissal orders by the respective DILG Regional Directors.
Puno particularly noted that since Trinidad and his fellow Pasay City officials were already suspended earlier, then the incumbent officials, particularly acting Mayor Allan Panaligan and his vice mayor, “will be sworn in as permanent city officials.”
The DILG Secretary appealed to the suspended and dismissed officials not to resort to taking the law into their own hands by inviting their supporters to camp out at the city, municipal or provincial halls to protest the Ombudsman decision.
“To the officials involved here, I’m asking them to stay within the judicial process. These decisions are appealable to higher courts. And I would say that that is probably the best thing to do,” Puno said, citing for example the case of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay late last year.
Puno also warned supporters not to block the entrances at the city, municipal or provincial halls and “impede public service” as this constitutes an act of “sedition.”
He downplayed though the possibility of violent confrontations since police were strongly advised to observe “maximum tolerance.”
Puno reminded the suspended and dismissed officials that their offices are not their private properties, so they have no right to encamp there.
“If the Governor (for example) is the one that precipitates this - he initiates the blocking of people from entering the capitol, that is another offense,” he said.
Puno dismissed speculations that the actions against the involved officials are politically motivated, saying only Tupas and Trinidad are actually allied with the political opposition.
Based on a DILG briefer, Esquivel was found guilty of grave misconduct and meted the penalty of dismissal from the service and shall carry with it the cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and the perpetual disqualification for reemployment in the government service. It stemmed from a complaint for illegal recall of appointments of three Board of Directors of the Jaen Water District.
Tupas, Capadosa and Oso were also found guilty for grave misconduct for malversation of public funds thru falsification of public documents, for allowing and approving the grant of financial assistance in the amount of P65,000 for trainings and seminars to the two provincial board members. Aside from dismissal from the service, they were also meted with the cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and the perpetual disqualification for reemployment in the government service and to pay of a fine of P65,000.00.
The Pasay City officials, led by Trinidad, meanwhile, were found guilty for grave misconduct for entering into a garbage collection contracts attended by several irregularities, such as overpricing and renewal of said contract for P232 million without the benefit of a public bidding. Along with dismissal from the service, their penalties include cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and the perpetual disqualification for reemployment in the government service.
For her part, Dumaluan was ordered suspended for six months after she was found guilty of simple misconduct for the illegal purchase of gasoline for her personal vehicle. Her accountant, Clenuar, was found guilty of the same for conniving, and was meted the penalty of one-month suspension from office without pay.
Panaligan of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro was also ordered to be suspended for six months without pay after he was found guilty of simple misconduct for falsification of payroll for the casual employees of the Sangguniang Bayan.
For the unauthorized use of the Special Education Fund, Evangelista of Aguilar, Pangasinan was placed under preventive suspension while the case remains under investigation until its termination, but not to exceed the total period of four months.
The Ombudsman also ordered the suspension from office for a period of six months and one day against Villegas of Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental after he was found guilty for illegal dismissal of a municipal employee.
Finally, Sanchez was placed under preventive suspension while the case against him remains under investigation at the Ombudsman until its termination, but not to exceed six months, without pay. The case stemmed from a complaint of irregularities attending the procurement of contract of services with a private firm in relation to the Provincial Realty Property Tax Computerization Project in the amount of P350 million./DMS
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