Ombudsman clears nurse of sexual harassment raps

CEBU, Philippines -  The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas dismissed both criminal and administrative complaints against public nurse in Consolacion for lack of interest of the complainant to pursue the case.

Graft investigator Eleanor Tayad-De Mira recommended for the dismissal of the complaints against Paul Pangatungan of the Municipal Health Center of Consolacion, Cebu following the affidavit of desistance executed by the complainant.

“Complainant is no longer interested in pursuing the instant case which she initiated against respondent, any further preliminary investigation in connection thereof would be an exercise in futility and, thus, definitely would not prosper on the ground of absence of evidence, so that this Office is left without any other recourse except to dismiss the same,” the anti-graft office ruled.

Willmae Balaba earlier filed criminal and administrative complaints for anti-sexual harassment act, acts of lasciviousness, grave threats, grave coercion, unjust vexation, slander, grave misconduct, conduct unbecoming of a public employee and gross discourtesy against Pangatungan.

Balaba, a job order employee, was under the direct supervision of the respondent.

According to Balaba, she started reporting for work in November 2011. Few days later the respondent allegedly called her “IUD” which offended her. The complainant said she ignored it at first but Pangatungan’s conduct has brought her “anxieties and humiliation.”

Balaba said she was prompted to call the respondent’s attention but instead of stopping it he did it continually.

The complainant alleged that there were already times that Pangatungan attempted to touch her private parts when nobody is around.

Balaba said she tried to keep it for fear of losing her job. The anti-graft office directed Pangatungan to answer the complaints but the latter submitted the affidavit of desistance from the complainant.

Balaba said in her affidavit that she is withdrawing the complaint for “humanitarian reasons”.

She claimed that the incident was just a product of simple miscommunication between her and the respondent.— FPL (FREEMAN)