DepEd director, two others face graft raps

Graft charges were filed at the Ombudsman-Visayas against the Department of Education regional director and two other officials for allegedly rendering an unfitting judgment over a case of a teacher years ago.

The complainant Virgilia Rodriguez, a resident of barangay Basak, Badian town, accused DepEd regional director Carolino Mordeno and DepEd officials Juliana Ceriente and Vita Guarin, of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Virgilia alleged that the judgment of the three officials over the dishonesty and immorality case she earlier filed at DepEd against her "sister-in-law" Broklita Rodriguez was unjust because it was way below the prescribed sanction of the Civil Service Commission.

Data on Broklita showed that she was married before to Crisostomo Balungcas and they had two children. Sometime in 1985, however, Broklita allegedly left her family to elope with Virgilia's brother Bernardo.

Broklita then applied for a teaching job with DepEd but later on Virgilia accused her of dishonesty and immorality for falsifying her credentials for the job while pretending to be the legal wife of Bernardo.

The case reached DepEd and an investigation committee, headed by Ceriente with Guarin as member, eventually found Broklita guilty of disgraceful and immoral conduct.

The two officials of the panel recommended a penalty of reprimand against Broklita. After a review of the recommendation, Mordeno upgraded the penalty to a one-month suspension without pay.

The judgment of the three caused Virgilia to complain to the Ombudsman, contending that the officials were ignorant of the law and that they allegedly violated a provision of the Revised Penal Code.

Virgilia insisted that the penalty on Broklita should have been dismissal from service, as provided for in CSC Resolution in 1959 on grave offenses such as dishonesty and immorality.

The imposition of "lesser sanctions" against Broklita, the three officials allegedly violated the law, argued Virgilia.

Virgilia further asked the Ombudsman to put the respondents under preventive suspension while an investigation of the case is still being conducted. - Fred P. Languido/RAE