The graft and corruption case filed against Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo in connection with the P2.1-billion government center project is not yet over, said vice mayoralty aspirant, Councilor Jun Castro.
The Office of the Ombudsman recently dismissed the graft and corruption filed by Castro against Garbo, Vice Mayor Geld Aquino, and nine councilors.
The Ombudsman, however, admonished Garbo to exercise greater caution in carrying out his duties and warned that any recurrence of a similar act would be met with stricter penalties.
Castro said he filed a partial motion for reconsideration at the Office of the Ombudsman on February 3, 2024.
“Nirerespeto natin ang decision ng Ombudsman pero sa pag-aaral ng ating mga lawyers, nakita natin na wala naman sa batas na kapag nagkamali ka, iwa-warn ka lang, o ire-reprimand ka o i-admonish ka. Dapat ang lahat ng pagkakamali ay may karampatang parusa,” he said.
The councilor added that he will escalate the case to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court if the Ombudsman upholds its ruling.
Castro said he asked for the removal of his runningmate, mayoralty aspirant Geld Aquino, and Councilor Liza Pineda and Marjorie Sambo from the list of respondents.
“‘Yung dalawang konsehala kasi natin ay absent during the approval of that ordinance, while mayor Geld was only acting as the presiding officer and has no power to vote,” he explained.
Castro said that his actions are part of his advocacy for transparency and accountability in Mabalacat City.
“Para tuluyan ng makahinga ang ating mga kasiyudad at labanan ang matinding korapsyon na nangyayari sa aming siyudad. Kung totoong walang korapsyon, magexplain sila sa mga tao at sa media,” he said.