New mayor leads Porac; Capil vows to clear name

Suspended Porac Mayor Jaime Capil —Niño Jesus Orbeta

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA, Philippines — Councilor Myla Clarete assumed as acting mayor of Porac, Pampanga, on Thursday after the Office of the Ombudsman served on Wednesday a six-month preventive suspension on Mayor Jaime “Jing” Capil and 10 other officials for gross neglect of duty in connection with the supposed illegal and criminal activities of a Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) in the town until June this year.

Clarete, 42, was sworn into office by her brother Ryan Clarete, village chief of Manuali.

A registered physical therapist and law undergraduate, Clarete first assumed office as councilor in October 2023 following the sudden death of another brother, Regin, who was listed as among those suspended by Ombudsman Samuel Martires in the Oct. 7 order.

Clarete did not file her certificate of candidacy for reelection or for any higher post. Her brother-in-law, Mike Tapang, is challenging Capil, who is seeking a third term.

On Thursday, Clarete met with department heads to seek their support and ensure the services of the municipal government were not disrupted.

‘Necessary steps’

Capil, in a social media post on Wednesday night, informed his constituents about the suspension order.

“We recognize that this (suspension order) is under the authority of the Ombudsman. But this does not mean we are guilty. We have full trust in the justice of the law, and we will take the necessary steps to clear our name,” Capil said in Filipino.

The Pogo firm Lucky South 99 managed to construct 46 buildings at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic on a 10-hectare property leased by the Chinese-led Whirlwind Corp., which bought the land from the Cruz family.

Capil is the second mayor, after Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, to be sanctioned by the Ombudsman for hosting illegal Pogo in their towns.

Besides Capil, the Ombudsman also suspended Vice Mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo and Emerald Vital, the officer in charge of the business permit and licensing office (BPLO) of Porac.

Councilors Rohner Buan, Rafael Canlapan, Adrian Carreon, Essel Joy David, Hilario Dimalanta, Michelle Santos, and John Nuevy Venson were also suspended. The original respondents totaled 21 in the complaint filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

According to the Ombudsman order, the officials’ “inaction and failure to perform their duties” allowed Lucky South 99 to continue operating despite several violations, including issuing business permits in 2021, 2022, and 2023, without meeting the required regulations.

No permit, license

It said Lucky South 99’s license from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. had expired. The BPLO, it added, confirmed that the Pogo firm had no business permit for 2024.

In its order, the Ombudsman also cited the lack of a “letter of no objection” from the town officials against Lucky South 99’s operations and the Philippine National Police’s report on suspected criminal activities at the Pogo firm’s premises.

“[Given] the respondents’ power and authority, there is a strong probability that they may influence witnesses or tamper with any evidence material to the case, and in order likewise to prevent any case of malfeasance and/or misfeasance, hence this preventive suspension,” it added.

Lucky South 99 is accused of human trafficking, torture, and money scams.