[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Ombudsman suspends Belison, Tibiao officials’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”][/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
ILOILO – The Office of the Ombudsman ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government to implement its suspension orders against Mayor Darell Dela Flor of Belison, Antique and former mayor Walden Lim of Tibiao, also in Antique.
Dela Flor was guilty of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and violating Section 4(a) of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, while Lim was guilty of simple misconduct, the Ombudsman said.
Along with Dela Flor, also found guilty and ordered suspended were Municipal Accountant Edna Escaner and Municipal Budget Officer Leonie Galedo.
In 2014, Dela Flor authorized the payment of additional bonuses to municipal employees under the guise of procurement of office supplies, the Ombudsman said.
To facilitate the scheme, Dela Flor, Escaner and Galedo submitted a supplemental budget for office supplies worth P471,817.30, which was intended to be turned into “bonuses,” the state prosecutor said.
Documents also showed Belison exceeded its Personnel Services (PS) budget. Under Section 325(a) of the Local Government Code, “any move geared toward providing employees with additional or extra bonus despite having exceeded the PS limitation by using other funds not intended for the purpose is patently illegal…,” said the Ombudsman.
Dela Flor and his co-accused were suspended for nine months.
On the other hand, Lim hired laborers for Tibiao’s water construction project despite the lack of authority from the Sangguniang Bayan and noncompliance with procurement regulations, the Ombudsman said.
“As the local chief executive, respondent mayor is not only expected to know the proper procedure in procurement, he is also duty-bound to follow the same, and his failure to do so amounts to transgression of the established law, rules and regulations on the matter,” it pointed out.
Lim was ordered suspended for three months, but in his case (separation from the service), “the penalty is convertible to a fine equivalent to their salaries for the duration of their suspension,” the Ombudsman said.
The Ombudsman’s directive to the Interior department — contained in a news release posted on its website on Tuesday — included a suspension order against former mayor Napoleon Cuaton of Saint Bernard, Southern Leyte.
The Ombudsman suspended Cuaton for one year after finding him liable for oppression/abuse of authority for consistently refusing to reinstate a municipal government employee despite the Civil Service Commission’s finding the termination of the latter illegal./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
