Ombuds orders Minglanilla government driver suspended

The Ombudsman-Visayas has sustained its order to suspend for one-month without pay the Minglanilla municipal government driver, who was earlier found guilty of committing acts prejudicial to public service.

Harvey Reroma was ordered suspended last July 22 but he immediately filed for a motion for reconsideration, a matter that the Ombudsman denied on August 22.

As such, Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Primo Miro then issued an order, dated October 26, directing the mayor of Minglanilla to enforce the suspension of Reroma.

The case against Reroma arose from his dispute with a certain Al Fuentes over a parking space at the Sheraton Hotel in the north reclamation area last January 14.

Fuentes, in his complaint against Reroma, said he was driving his Starex van and outmaneuvered the latter over a parking space. This subsequently angered Reroma to the extent of making threatening gestures against him.

This prompted security guard Mermar Andoy to go to the scene and advise Reroma to leave the area. Reroma instead snapped back saying: "Buk-an ko to siya sa ulo! (I'm going to break his head)."

Fuentes further alleged that when he was already out of the place, Reroma allegedly scratched the van, a damage that was later estimated to reach P24,000.

Reroma denied the allegations claming it was Fuentes who was enraged and caused the damage. He countered that Fuentes even forced Andoy to execute an affidavit to corroborate the complaint.

Reroma further said that if he uttered threats to Fuentes and did damage to his car, then the guard should have apprehended him.

However, Ombudsman investigator Pio Dargantes found Reroma's claim "simply incredible," adding that it was a "self-serving" defense that has no "corroborative evidence."

"The act of respondent (Reroma) of issuing threats of bodily harm on complainant and damaging the latter's vehicle was totally uncalled for and indubitably gave a bad image of the public service," the Ombuds decision read.