SC affirms suspension of Carmen accountant

CEBU, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the ruling of the Office of the Ombudman-Visayas suspending the municipal accountant of Carmen, Cebu for a period of one year after she was found guilty for her involvement in an anomalous transaction 10 years ago.

The High Tribunal’s Second Division presided by Justice Antonio Carpio ruled that the Court of Appeals erred when it reversed the Ombudsman’s decision that ordered the suspension of Dinah C. Barriga.

The Ombudsman-Visayas decided to elevate the matter to the Supreme Court after the appellate court claimed that the anti-graft body has no power to suspend government officials, as its task is only recommendatory.

Justice Carpio reiterated that the Supreme Court, in many cases, ruled that Republic Act 6770 allows the Office of the Ombudsman to punish any government and public officials found guilty for wrongdoings.

“We held that decisions of the Ombudsman are immediately executory even pending appeal in the appellate court,” the Supreme Court ruling reads.

According to Carpio, the Ombudsman’s order imposing Barriga the penalty of suspension from office for one year without pay is immediately executory even while pending in the Court of Appeals.

But because records showed that Barriga already served six months of her suspension, the mayor of Carmen is ordered to implement only the remaining six months of her penalty.

The records of the case showed that Barriga, together with the late Carmen mayor Virgilio Vilamor and municipal treasurer Bebelia C. Bontia, was charged with graft by Sonia Pua, a town councilor of Carmen in 2000 and now mayor.

Pua claimed that the respondents committed graft when they entered into several “irregular and anomalous transactions” about the handling of the trust fund of the municipality for the Central Visayas Water and Sanitation Project.

The Ombudsman dismissed the case against Villamor and Bontia for being moot and academic because Villamor was already elected then as vice mayor while Bontia was already been dismissed for another case. – Rene U. Borromeo/JPM (THE FREEMAN)