FORBIDDEN GARDEN The relaxing atmosphere at the Manila Seedling Bank compound was shattered by City Hall’s seizure notice in December 2013. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
The treasurer of Quezon City has been banned for life by the Office of the Ombudsman from working in the government for imposing taxes on a seven-hectare property occupied by the Manila Seedling Bank Foundation Inc. (MSBFI).
The issue over the foundation’s unpaid taxes prompted Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista to order the seizure and auction of the prime lot in 2012.
In a statement, the Ombudsman on Friday said Edgar Villanueva was found guilty of oppression and had been ordered dismissed from the government service.
It said Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales forfeited Villanueva’s retirement benefits and civil service eligibility, and was also perpetually barred from government service.
“Villanueva gravely abused his authority in the discharge of his official duties when he enforced taxes without prior notice of assessment,” Morales said.
“Any injury sustained by MSBFI as an offshoot of the flawed tax enforcement would be undue and unwarranted for lack of legal basis on the part of the city treasurer to demand payment,” she added.
Morales said Villanueva “may not validly levy and sell the property” as it was owned by the National Housing Authority, which is exempted from paying taxes being a state-owned agency.
According to the Ombudsman, Villanueva sent a statement of delinquency to MSBFI in May 2011 for its failure to settle its tax liabilities amounting to P42.8 million.
He then sent a final notice of delinquency and warrant of levy just a month later.
A year after, the city government ordered the MSBFI to leave the contested property located at the corner of Quezon Avenue and Edsa.
READ: QC gov’t shuts down Manila Seedling Bank
Bautista also directed the city government’s Department of Public Order and Safety and the Quezon City Police District to padlock and secure the area, which was part of the planned Quezon City Business District. TVJ
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