CEBU, Philippines – Lack of evidence on the part of the complainant cleared San Roque barangay captain Rogelio Ruizo and barangay treasurer Gina Aniñon of charges for grave misconduct filed before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
It was Mary Grace P. Mancao, former Sangguniang Kabataan chairwoman of San Roque, who filed the administrative charges against the two.
Mancao, who worked as clerk of the barangay after the end of her term, said Ruizo and Aniñon deducted P2,100 from her monthly salary for the payment of her bank loan.
According to Mancao she was surprised after the officials of Green Bank in Mandaue City sent her a communication informing her of her outstanding balance for her loan.
Mancao said that Aniñon always deducted her monthly salaries with the amount to be paid for her bank loan, saying: "Dili man gani na siya pahangyo nga dili lang unta ko mobayad adtong nagkinahanglan g'yud ko og kwarta."
The memorandum of agreement entered into by the bank and the barangay officials provides that it will be the barangay captain and treasurer who will collect the staggered payments from those who availed of loans and submit the collections to the bank within the three-day period.
In their counter-affidavits, both Ruizo and Aniñon claimed that there was never any deduction made from the complainant's salaries because she always pleaded with them not to deduct it as she was in dire need of money for her family.
The anti-graft investigators explained that the problem was that Mancao failed to submit evidence like her payslips to prove that Aniñon really deducted her salaries with amount intended for the payment of her bank loan.
The respondent managed to submit the copies of the payrolls that shows that Mancao really received P5,500 as her full honorarium every month. (FREEMAN)