Vizcaya gov’t depleted after suspensions

BAYOMBONG, NUEVA VIZCAYA—The Office of the Ombudsman suspended for three months without pay the mayor, vice mayor and 12 other incumbent and former officials of the Bagabag town government for diverting municipal funds amounting to P660,140.

Mayor Johnny Sevillena, Vice Mayor Ed Afalla, four incumbent councilors, four former councilors and four department heads, including the municipal treasurer, accountant and budget officer, were penalized for diverting the money to pay the taxes of officials and employees which were not deducted from their yearend benefits in 2016, according to lawyer Gerard Mosquera, deputy Ombudsman for Luzon.

‘Irregular’

“There is no question that the disbursement was irregular,” he said.

The Inquirer tried to reach Sevillena and Afalla for comment but they did not take calls or reply to text queries.

The Ombudsman ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Department of Finance to implement the ruling.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed in 2016 by former Councilor Ferdinand Douglas Inaldo after the council, acting on the request of Sevillena, voted for an appropriations ordinance that would divert portions of operating funds of the public market to settle the employees’ tax dues.

No corruption

The Ombudsman dismissed the charge for grave misconduct, saying it found no corrupt motive in the officials’ acts.

“Here, no actual benefit was obtained by the respondents or by the rest of the municipal employees inasmuch as they were duty-bound to refund the money advanced by the local government—an obligation they had fulfilled weeks after the funds were released,” Mosquera said. —MELVIN GASCON