Ombudsman upholds suspension of 9 Mandaue barangay officials

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas upheld its earlier decision that suspends all the barangay officials of Looc in Mandaue City for six months after they were found guilty of oppression.

Graft Investigator Jane Aguilar denied the motion for reconsideration filed by the three of the eight councilmen who were ordered suspended by the anti-graft office for allegedly conspiring with then Looc barangay captain Editha Cabahug in the commission of the administrative offense for oppression against former councilman Jesus Flores eight years ago.

abahug and her eight Councilman Alberto Cabahug, Jose Lozano Jr., Ma. Lilitha Basconcillo, Raul “Skipper” Cabahug, Raul “Kevin” Cabahug, Liborio Arcana, Erlinda Tarona, and Alejandro Jayme failed to allocate funds for the terminal leave benefits of Flores.

The anti-graft office found them guilty of oppression and they were meted six months suspension.

Tarona, Basconcillo, and Alberto seek reconsideration of the ruling citing the Memorandum Circular 12 series of 2007 of the Civil Service Commission which clarifies that the grant of leave benefits to barangay officials only applies to services rendered from April 15, 2004 onwards.

They argued that Flores’s terminal leave benefits are not covered by the said circular. But, Aguilar ruled that the suspension of the respondents is already deemed served aside from the fact that it is lack of merit.

Aguilar explained that the suspension was considered implemented already because of the holding of the Sangguniang Kabataan and Barangay elections in 2007 and 2010 where in the respondents’ term has already expired. — (FREEMAN)