Ombudsman starts 9 month suspension of Quezon town mayor

LUCENA CITY — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered Mayor Jose Mendoza of the town of Atimonan in Quezon province to be suspended for nine months without pay for alleged oppression, misconduct and abuse of authority.

In a memorandum dated September 11, Renato Brion, director of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, and Rizal), ordered Atimonan Vice Mayor Joel Vergano to assume as mayor in acting capacity in accordance with Section 46 of the Local Government Code.

The suspension order was received by the DILG-Quezon office on Monday afternoon and was implemented by Vilma Torres, DILG-Quezon chief, on Tuesday.

“The implementation was smooth. Suspended Mayor Mendoza did not resist the suspension order,” Torres said.

In 2010, Atimonan municipal employees Maria Dalisay Diestro and Teresa Fortifaez charged Mendoza for alleged oppression, misconduct and abuse of authority after the mayor ordered the town cashier to withhold their salaries.