Court grants 60-day TRO to Negros Oriental guv

NEGROS Oriental Governor Roel Degamo has again stopped the implementation of another dismissal order against him after he was able to secure a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals (CA) Monday.

This was the second time Degamo was ordered removed from government service by the Office of the Ombudsman over the same complaint.

The case stemmed from the P480-million calamity funds allegedly misused in 2012.

Degamo said it is the same case filed by different complainants as he called the Ombudsman “bias.”

He pointed out it is a case of double jeopardy as the CA had already dismissed the same complaint.

The CA reversed the Ombudsman ruling because he was covered by the Aguinaldo doctrine, the governor said, adding that the project was implemented in good faith and there was no criminal intent.

Degamo emphasized that the decision of the CA should prevail because it is the second-highest judicial court after the Supreme Court.

He said he will stay in office as he was not served with the dismissal order by the Department of the Interior and Local Government. He also said he is confident to secure a permanent injunction from the CA after 60 days.

Degamo added that “no single Ombudsman can oust me from power” because he was elected by majority of his constituents.

It is “political harassment,” he said.

On January 27, Degamo surrendered to the Sandiganbayan after his arrest order for malversation and graft charges came out.

He also posted a bail of P1.115 million after the Sandiganbayan approved his request for reduction of bail.

The court has set a P200,000 bail for each of the 11 counts of malversation and P30,000 for graft, or a total of P2.23 million.

The calamity fund was intended for the rehabilitation of the infrastructures damaged by Typhoon Sendong in December 2011 and the 6.9 earthquake in February 2012 in Negros Oriental.

The Department of Budget and Management, however, later withdrew the Special Allotment and Release Order due to non-compliance with the guidelines for infrastructure projects, but Degamo and the others proceeded with the project.

The Commission on Audit then issued 11 notices of disallowance.

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