Charges filed vs Taguig mayor; Tinga unfazed

The Office of the Ombudsman filed with the Sandiganbayan yesterday malicious mischief charges against Taguig Mayor Sigfrido Tinga and eight officials and municipal employees in connection with the demolition of two pork barrel-funded infrastructure projects in Upper Bicutan, Taguig.

Tinga, however, simply laughed off the case, calling it a nuisance case "and part of a series of political harassments perpetrated by his political rivals."

"My opponents have been forum shopping to tear me out of office for their own personal gain. This nonsense should stop because the only losers will be the people of Taguig," the mayor said in a statement.

Tinga aired his amusement over his rival’s "obsession to derail his administration by pursuing fabricated charges."

Aside from Tinga, others who were charged with the same offense were municipal engineer Marcelo Serpa Juan; municipal employees Arsenio Cruz, Roldan Candido and Aniceto Delvo and Upper Bicutan Barangay kagawads Rodolfo Tongpuz, Pablito Avila, Gloria Laot and Renato Malonzo.

Lawyer Jose de Jesus, director of the Evaluation and Preliminary Investigation Bureau (EPIB), recommended P4,000 bail for the temporary liberty of each of the accused.

The Ombudsman earlier cleared the respondents of violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act but found them liable of malicious mischief.

De Jesus said that the case against Tinga stemmed from the demolition he ordered last Jan. 18 on a perimeter fence of a multi-purpose hall and the demolition of the foundation and columns of the structure in Upper Bicutan.

Private complainant Roland Juta, general manager of a contractor-firm said Tinga first stopped their construction after they failed to present a building permit.

He said members of the municipal government demolition team later dismantled the structures due to their failure to secure a permit.

Graft Investigation Officer III Wilfred Pascasio said that while Tinga was right in demanding a building permit from Juta as provided for under the National Building Code of the Philippines, the respondents are liable for malicious mischief.

"While they may be justified in stopping construction, they nevertheless acted beyond what is necessary when after the performance of the work was already halted, the respondents still dismantled the structures," Pascasio said.

The demolition of the structures was among the grounds cited by supporters of Taguig-Pateros Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano in filing the preparatory recall proceedings against Tinga. – With Nikko Dizon