DILG has yet to suspend Marikina mayor

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has yet to implement an order by the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend Marikina City Mayor Del de Guzman and two other officials for six months without pay, an official said yesterday.

DILG-Marikina director Ma. Luisa Esquivias said the DILG-National Capital Region has not issued any suspension implementation order against De Guzman and his co-accused. Under the DILG setup, Esquivias said the NCR would forward a suspension order to her office for execution.

The Office of the Ombudsman found De Guzman, city transportation management and development office head Rommel Felipe, then city engineer Alfonso Espiritu and Barangay Concepcion Dos chairman Ronald Ortiz liable for simple neglect of duty for allegedly not acting on a complaint.

The three officials were charged with violating the following: Section 5(a) of the Republic Act 6713, the code of conduct for government officials and employees; Sections 3 (e and f) of Republic Act 3019, the anti-graft law; and Article 208 of the Revised Penal Code by North Rim View Park residents Francisco Alan Molina, Marcelo Mercado, Ma. Florina Cristales, and Benedicto Pimentel.

The residents accused the officials of not acting on their complaints to remove a steel gate and a guardhouse along Sunrise street in Barangay Concepcion Dos that their homeowners’ association constructed due to the rising incidence of crimes in the area.

The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed the criminal case against the officials in a Feb. 18 resolution. In a separate decision, dated Feb. 14, the Ombudsman ordered the officials suspended for six months without pay for simple neglect of duty.

De Guzman insisted that there was no neglect of duty on his part as he took to address the complaint.

De Guzman also filed a motion for reconsideration, saying that by virtue of his re-election as mayor, “he is no longer amenable to administrative sanctions for acts committed during his former tenure.”

He cited the Supreme Court decision in the case of Jose Oliveros in 1974.

“We have not received an order of suspension from the DILG. What we received last week was a decision from the Ombudsman dated Feb. 14 and 28, which is presently under appeal,” De Guzman said.