Village loses all execs over drug raid

An antidrug agent inside a suspected drug flea market in Barangay Ermita in Cebu City —LITO TECSON/CEBU DAILY NEWS

CEBU CITY—An entire village here was plunged into a leadership vacuum after all its officials were suspended for failure to help in the war on drugs.

The suspensions prompted the Central Visayas office of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to seek caretakers for the vacated positions.

Rene Burdeos, DILG regional director, said he is consulting the DILG head office on what action to take after suspending Felicisimo Rupinta, chair of Ermita village, and all the village’s seven councilors.

No law specifies who should take over a village if all its officials are suspended.

“This is the first time this happened in Central Visayas,” said Burdeos.

“We believe it is the President who has the authority to choose their replacements,” he added.

The Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas ordered the preventive suspension of all village officials of Ermita pending an investigation into their alleged failure to cooperate in a drug raid in November 2016.

Paul Elmer Clemente, Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas, stripped the respondents of their power and responsibilities until the administrative adjudication on the case is completed.

The suspension period during which the officials would receive no pay would not exceed six months, Clemente said.

“The continued stay by any of the respondents in office may prejudice the case filed against them,” said Clemente in his order dated Jan. 16.

Aside from Rupinta, suspended were Ermita village Councilors Marky Rizaldy Miral, Antonieto Flores, Ryan Jay Rosas, Alio Tamundo, Domingo Ando, Maria Buanghug and Wilbert Flores.

The Ombudsman acted on a complaint filed by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Central Visayas Director Yogi Filmeon Ruiz accusing the officials of refusing to cooperate with lawmen during a raid on Nov. 6./rga