Wednesday, November 19, 2008 Ombud urged to deny officials' reconsideration plea By Edmund B. Sestoso
THE complainants in the misconduct and graft charges against 14 Canlaon City officials asked the Ombudsman not to entertain the motion for reconsideration filed by the accused.
One of the complainants, Corazon Javier, said the petition of the local officials is a "rehash of their previous reasoning" that was already found by the Ombudsman to have no merit.
Javier and Guia Advincula, of the Canlaon People's Rights Movement (CPRM), earlier charged 14 Canlaon officials, including Mayor Judith Cardenas and Vice Mayor Jimmy Clerigo, with misconduct and violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
They described the reconsideration move of the officials as a dilly-dallying tactic.
"What they (local officials) have raised are mere platitudes and some misguided and irrelevant matters which they probably hope will deceive the Ombudsman," stressed Javier in her opposition to the motion of the Cardenas camp.
In their motion for reconsideration, the officials reiterated that their reelection condoned their alleged previous misconduct in office, citing the Supreme Court ruling in "Pascual versus Provincial Board of Nueva Ecija."
The case against the officials stemmed from their "irregularly" securing an "excessive" loan of P60 million from the Development Bank of the Philippines-San Carlos City branch in Negros Occidental.
The loan was purportedly to finance various livelihood projects of Canlaon officials and employees who would borrow from the DBP loan proceeds of the City Government, by virtue of a memorandum of agreement between the city and Canlaon City Government Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
The Ombudsman for the Visayas determined that the loan was irregular on three grounds: it is grossly disadvantageous to the government; its proceeds were disbursed without the necessary appropriations ordinance; the agreement between the city and cooperative is disadvantageous to the government.
It recommended the filing of criminal charges against the 14 respondents but dismissed a similar case against five other employees for lack of sufficient legal basis.
Aside from the mayor and vice mayor, also charged were City Council members Diego Santiago, Jose Chubasco Cardenas, Aldin Avila, Edgar Estampador, Roberto Bolo, Mamerto Bermil Jr., Eric Suganob, Amado de los Reyes, Hernani Blanco, Pedro Montero, and Wagner Bekim Cardenas, and City Treasurer Ma. Luisa Luza.
