Tarzan camp: EdPam asks Ombudsman for ‘more time’

ANGELES CITY – The camp of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan on January 7 asked the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Adoracion Agbada to extend the time period allotted for the submission of the counter affidavit for the graft and corruption charges filed against Pamintuan and three others before the Ombudsman.

The charges are regarding the controversial 2,506 job order employees of the City Government under the Pamintuan administration.

This was revealed by local mediaman Robledo Sanchez who received a copy of the motion for extension of time filed by Pamintuan and company.

Sanchez said that Pamintuan, along with the other three respondents of the case, City Accountant Wilfredo Tiotuico, City Budget Officer Fe Corpuz, and City Treasurer Juliet Quinsaat, submitted a Motion for Extension of Time asking the Deputy Ombudsman to grant them an additional fifteen (15) days from January 7 to January 22 to file their counter affidavit.

Sanchez said that the Pamintuan camp reasoned that while the draft for the Counter Affidavits has already been prepared, they need more time to accomplish the said affidavits because they have been “saddled with very tight and heavy work schedule” during the Holiday Season.

The Pamintuan camp also said that on December 13, 2012, they learned from a news article that three witnesses have allegedly filed their respective affidavits and having not received the said witness affidavits in the order issued by the Deputy Ombudsman on December 5, 2012, they are unable to properly answer the allegations.

On October 19, 2012, Sanchez filed the graft and corruption charges against Pamintuan and company before the Office of the Ombudsman regarding the 2,506 job order appointments of the City Government under the Pamintuan administration.

Last Friday (January 11), Sanchez headed back to the Office of the Ombudsman in Quezon City to submit a Supplemental Complaint Affidavit containing the sworn statements of five witnesses claiming to be listed in the job order appointments of the City Government as ‘ghost employees’, i.e. employees that are included in the payroll but are not actually working.

Sanchez was accompanied by the witnesses in the filing of the supplemental affidavit.

The witnesses include Irene David, wife of Councilmen’s League of Angeles City (CLAC) Vice President for External Affairs and Barangay Lourdes Northwest Kagawad William David, Joan Lozano, sister of CLAC Vice President and Barangay Cutcut Kagawad Roy Ogurida, Marlene Coronel, wife of Barangay Salapungan Kagawad Renato Coronel, Roberto Miranda, friend of Barangay Santo Domingo Kagawad Oliver Chaneco, and Barangay Margot Kagawad Nenita Ferrer.

The Deputy Ombudsman initially gave the respondents a period of 10 days to file their Counter Affidavit, failure to comply with which will result to the submission of the case for resolution.