Ex-Cebu mayor faces raps over Talisay college OIC

A former Cebu mayor faces a falsification charge for appointing an officer-in-charge to Talisay City College without seeking authority from the Board of Trustees.

In a statement, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered the filing of a falsification information against former mayor Johnny De Los Reyes of Talisay City, Cebu, for unlawfully issuing an executive order appointing Dr. Paulus Mariae Cañete as officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Talisay City College (TCC) without authority.

While Delos Reyes claimed good faith in appointing Cañete, the Ombudsman said the minutes of the Dec. 2013 meeting showed that the board gave no authority to Delos Reyes to appoint the college president or even to designate an OIC.

Morales said “as public officer, being [then] City Mayor of Talisay City as well as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Talisay City College, [Delos Reyes] clearly took advantage of his official position when he issued the EO.”

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman also found him administratively liable for Simple Dishonesty and issued a “stern warning that a repetition of the same or similar offense would be dealt with more severely.” CBB