Atty. Faith Presbitero, spokesperson of the Office of the Ombudsman in Mindanao says 11 of the 91 officials dismissed by the Ombudsman in 2016 were high ranking officials. (Earl O. Condeza/davaotoday.com)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines— A total of 91 public officials were dismissed from service, according to the 2016 report of the Office of the Ombudsman in Mindanao.
Of the 91 officials, 11 were said to be high ranking officials who were dismissed for criminal and administrative offenses.
“Among the dismissed from service are three mayors, a vice mayor, five members of Sangguniang Bayan, former regional directors of National Police Commission IX and Telecommunications Commission XII and an assistant regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development XI,” Atty. Faith Presbitero, spokesperson of the Office of the Ombudsman in Mindanao said Tuesday.
Those ordered dismissed were Lingig, Surigao del Sur Mayor Roberto Luna, Jr., Trento, Agusan Mayor Johnmark Billanes, Balabagan, Lanao del Sur Mayor Edna Ogka-Benito, and five members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Trento.
The Ombudsman also ordered the dismissal of former North Cotabato Representative, now Vice Governor, Gregorio Ipong for grave misconduct over the use of his 2007 Priority Development Assistance Fund.
Atty. Macapado Guro, former Regional Director of the NPC IX, and former NTC XII Director, Ismael Cabural were also dismissed, according to Presbitero.
Apart from dismissed officials, 107 officials were suspended with 23 being suspended for more than six months because of “various offenses ranging from abuse of their authority to irregularities and non-filing of their Statement of Assets and Liabilities,” Presbitero said.
Presbitero said the common violation committed by erring officials were RA No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, falsification of documents, malversation of funds, and perjury.
He noted that some local officials were also charged with several counts of malversation of funds and for failure to liquidate.
For administrative cases, she said, officials were found to have committed grave misconduct, dishonesty, gross neglect of duty, and grave abuse of authority.
In 2016, the Ombudsman has one convicted case when it ruled the conviction of former Baganga, Davao Oriental Mayor Gerry Morales for the 2001 procurement of 11,000 pieces of mebendazole tablets worth P196,900.
Disposed cases
The Ombudsman in Mindanao said the cases disposed last year were 2 percent lower compared to 2015.
The anti-graft agency added that the disposed cases in 2016 totaled to 1,014 cases.
“It went down by 2 percent. In 2 percent we have high number of case load,” Presbitero said adding that the Ombudsman in Mindanao “still have highest disposition rate of all ombudsman offices” in the country.” (davaotoday.com)
