Ermita captain, 6 councilmen suspended

CEBU, Philippines —  For their alleged failure to cooperate in the anti-illegal drug operation, seven barangay officials of Ermita in Cebu City, including Barangay Captain Marky Rizaldy Miral, have been ordered suspended for one year by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Some 15 minutes before 5 p.m. yesterday, officials of Department of the Interior and Local Government in Cebu City headed by Acting Director Emma Joyevelyn Calvo served the suspension order against the concerned officials.

“We served the suspension order and there was no resistance from the officials,” Calvo told The FREEMAN.

Aside from Miral, six barangay councilors were also suspended, including  Antonieto Flores, Ryan Jay Rosas, Alio Tamundo, Domingo Ando, Maria Buanghug, and Wilbert Flores.

The anti-graft office meted them the penalty of suspension for one year without pay since they were found administratively liable of gross neglect of duty.

Calvo said the operations of the barangay will be taken over by Ermita barangay councilwoman Efe Rupinta, daughter of the slain captain Felicisimo Rupinta.

To recall, former PDEA-7 director Yogi Filemon Ruiz alleged that his men implemented a search warrant against Richard Cañete and Josephine Cuyno, residents of Barangay Ermita on November 6, 2016.

But Ruiz alleged that none of the barangay officials arrived at the crime scene to witness the search and inventory.

Ruiz then filed a complaint against the officials who were later preventively suspended for six months last year.

The one-year suspension of the barangay officials comes after the anti-graft office affirmed its earlier ruling that the barangay officials were liable for grave neglect of duty for refusing to assist the PDEA in their operation.

The FREEMAN tried to reach Miral and Rupinta yesterday but they did not return the calls and text messages as of this writing. — /JMD (FREEMAN)