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Saturday, March 13, 2004
DAR exec dismissed for grave misconduct
By Raquel C. Bagnol
A MUNICIPAL Agrarian Reform Officer (Maro) of Kabacan, Cotabato has been dismissed from service after the Office of the Ombudsman for Mindanao found substantial evidence to pin her to the charges of grave misconduct and dishonesty in 1998.
In an eight-page decision, Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer 11 Joy Rubillar-Arao recommended the dismissal of Norma Dominicata.
The charges stemmed from the complaint filed by sisters Ermelinda Colcol and Felipa Astellero of Broce, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
Records show that in 1998, Dominicata approached Emeliana Colcol, the mother of the complainants, and allegedly offered her services if Emeliana wanted the agricultural property in Kabacan, Cotabato left by her husband who passed away to be covered by the Voluntary Offer to Sell (VOS) program of the Department of
Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Emeliana agreed to sell only her part so that Dominicata offered to help in processing the subdivision of the remaining piece of land among Emeliana's three daughters.
But trouble occurred when the complainants allegedly did not receive a single centavo for the property after Dominicata handed them a Certificate of Land Ownership Award signifying that the VOS transaction was finalized.
The complainants alleged they paid Dominicata a total of P21,000 for the processing. They also said Dominicata falsified their signatures as heirs, including the signature of the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer (Paro) Marion Abella, and their father's signature in the Deed of Voluntary Transfer dated March 20, 1998.
The complainants claimed their father died in 1984 and it was impossible for him to sign the Deed.
In her counter-affidavit, Dominicata said it was Emeliana who asked for help in processing the VOS of the property.
She also denied forging the Paro signature. She also said Emeliana herself received the monetary value as proceeds for the sale of the property from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).
Upon investigation, the Ombudsman requested for true copies of the documents from LBP-General Santos City related to the property.
Among the documents from General Santos City was the death certificate of the complainant's father dated Oct. 17, 1998, which contradicts the date in the copy of the death certificate submitted by the complainants, dated Oct. 17, 1984.
After evaluation of evidence, the Ombudsman found Dominicata failed to observe the rule on justness and sincerity expected of every public servant.
It was also found there was intention to deceive the complainant's family when she accepted money and promised to help them process the transaction which is no longer a part of her work.
(March 13, 2004 issue)
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