Camarines Norte Governor Edgardo Tallado. JUAN ESCANDOR JR./INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON FILE PHOTO
CAMARINES Norte Gov. Edgardo Tallado has been ordered suspended for one year by the Office of the Ombudsman for his failure to rehire a sacked employee of the provincial government in 2013 despite an order from the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
Tallado was axed in June by the ruling Liberal Party for a “grossly immoral act” after his supposed extramarital affair with a young woman came out in social media.
He was also accused by his wife, Josefina, of threatening her after he had accused her of spreading a photo showing a shirtless Tallado with a half-naked woman.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said Tallado was liable for oppression and grave abuse of authority for “his willful refusal to comply” with the order of the CSC to reinstate provincial veterinarian Edgardo Gonzales.
Aside from Tallado, the antigraft body also meted out the same penalties on the provincial legal officer, Sim Mata Jr., and the supervising administrative officer, Mario dela Cruz.
“The series of acts committed by Tallado and Mata, together with Dela Cruz, against Gonzales squarely fall under oppression/grave abuse of authority,” the Ombudsman said in its Oct. 2 resolution.
Morales reminded public officials that “any act that falls short of the exacting standards for public office cannot be tolerated.”
The Ombudsman also suspended for six months without pay Bacolod City Administrator Rolando Villamor after he was found guilty for “conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.”
“In a clear case of conflict of interest, Villamor appeared as counsel for Galeno Construction Inc. in a civil case filed against the city government,” the antigraft body said.
“By representing a party whose interest collides with that of his employer, the City of Bacolod, (Villamor) invited suspicion of infidelity to either party,” it added.
The Ombudsman said Villamor’s “transgression erodes the public’s trust in government employees especially since he holds the esteemed position of city administrator.”