CA blocks dismissal of actor-turned-QC councilor, coaccused

Actor and Quezon City Councilor Roderick Paulate and his coaccused won a major legal victory after the Court of Appeals (CA) blocked the Office of the Ombudsman from dismissing them from public office for allegedly hiring ghost employees.

The appellate court granted the petition of Paulate, former Quezon City Councilor Francisco Calalay Jr. and liaison officer Vicente Bajamunde to reverse the order of the Ombudsman seeking their dismissal for falsification of official documents, serious dishonesty, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

The 17-page decision was penned by Fifth Division Associate Justice Stephen Cruz and concurred in by Associate Justices Jose Reyes Jr. and Ramon Paul Hernando.

The Ombudsman decision released last January found Paulate and Calalay guilty of hiring nonexistent people for contractual jobs during their 2010 term as councilors. Calalay disbursed P2.175 million for the ghost employees while Paulate disbursed P1.125 million, the Ombudsman said.

Both were found to have hired 120 ghost employees for jobs requiring technical or special skills at suboffices located outside City Hall.

Their salaries were paid using the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses.

In the decision penned on Nov. 11 but released just recently, the appellate court ruled that Paulate and his coaccused were able to prove that they had no part in the alleged hiring of ghost employees as the Ombudsman failed “to adequately prove any link between petitioners and the alleged illegal transaction.”

Despite his dismissal just months before the May elections, Paulate was able to win a fresh mandate as he landed the sixth and last spot among 14 candidates vying for city councilor in the second district.

Calalay ran for representative of the first district but lost to comebacking Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo. —GIL CABACUNGAN