Kalinga gov serves suspension

BAGUIO CITY—Kalinga Gov. Jocel Baac stepped down on Tuesday to serve his six-month suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman for Northern Luzon for beating up a provincial official in his office in 2015.

The Ombudsman acted on the complaint filed by the Kalinga provincial board which accused Baac of grave misconduct, oppression, abuse of authority and conduct unbecoming a public officer for beating up board secretary Mathew Matbagan.

Marlo Iringan, Cordillera director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, served the suspension order and installed Vice Gov. James Edduba as acting governor until the end of the year.

Baac has not issued a statement.

According to the board’s complaint, Baac lost his temper when he read the board resolution that sought to close down the Kalinga Gabriella Mija Kim Medical Center, a hospital donated by the Medical Peace Foundation of South Korea in 2007.

Baac called Matbagan to his office where he punched the official in the face and body.

This was Baac’s second suspension. In June 2011, he attacked a radio anchor inside the booth of the state-run dzRK-Radyo ng Bayan at the provincial capitol. Malacañang suspended Baac for one month over that incident. —KARLSTON LAPNITEN