Ombuds clears Kalunasan councilman of admin raps for grave misconduct

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has dismissed for lack of merit the administrative complaint for grave misconduct against a barangay councilman of Kalunasan, Cebu City.

Graft investigator Corazon Arnado-Carillo cleared councilman Oliver Ocampo of the complaint filed by the volunteer tanods in 2011. Paulino Gungog, on behalf of the other volunteer tanods of Kalunasan, accused Ocampo of not paying their honorarium in full for two months.

Gungog said there were 10 volunteer tanods hired by Ocampo, chairman of the committee on peace and order, to support the regular tanods. As volunteers they receive less than the honorarium of the regular tanods.

According to Gungog, the regular tanods received P4,000 each for the months of March and April 2011 from the Cebu City government. The volunteers were budgeted P1,380 each for the same period. But Ocampo only gave them P1,000 each.

Ocampo admitted having spent the P3,800 difference during the fiesta celebration of the barangay but promised to repay the amount.

Ocampo said that as chairman of the peace and order committee, he had to take care of the snacks and needs of the members of the Philippine National Police assigned in their barangay to maintain peace and order during the nightly activities and programs in connection with the fiesta celebration.

Ocampo said he was able to refund the amount on December 16, 2011.

“From the foregoing narrations, it appears that respondent did not make any fraudulent representation to get hold of the money. It is therefore established that respondent did not transgress any law, order, public policy, rule or regulation which constitutes as grave misconduct,” the anti-graft office ruled.

Carillo said that the complaint was filed on the same day the respondent gave the full amount to the complainants.

“Complainants could not claim that their rights were violated,” Carillo added.— (FREEMAN)