7 Navotas officials suspended by Ombudsman

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended seven top officials of Navotas City for alleged irregularities in the procurement of materials for a mass wedding sponsored by the city government in 2011.

In a Sept. 13 order, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the six-month suspension of city administrator Perfecto Cruz Jr., planning and development officer Rufino Serrano, general services officer Cesar Flores, legal officer Emmanuel Pantoja, city engineer Miguel Serrano Jr., city budget officer Susana Gonzales and city treasurer Manuel Enriquez.

Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco “carried out the suspension order” on the day he received the order, Jayne Banayad of the city government’s public information office said yesterday.

The seven officials, who were found guilty of grave misconduct, are all members of the city government’s bids and awards committee (BAC).

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by couple Jose and Cristina Ruiz, owners of the Angat Navotas General Merchandise, on March 29, 2011.

According to the Ombudsman’s resolution, the couple filed a complaint for falsification of documents and grave misconduct due to reported irregularities in the city government-sponsored mass wedding.

The couple alleged that the officials falsified their request for quotation (RFQ) and the date of submission they posted on the Philippine Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) website.

The BAC secretariat posted an RFQ with a budget of P384,350 on the PhilGEPS website on Jan. 5, 2011 and then reportedly awarded the contract to Rizzar General Merchandise a day after posting the RFQ.

The Ombudsman ruled that the officials were administratively liable for “failing to set the correct date in accordance with the actual date of the event,” but ruled that there was insufficient proof that the officials falsified the RFQ and the date of the submission posted on the website was, in fact, the date required by law.

“We find respondents not liable … under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code. Falsification is committed when a public official, who, taking advantage of his official position, falsifies a document by, among other, making an untruthful statement in a narration of facts,” the Ombudsman said.