Ombuds spares Cortes, council from preventive suspension

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas denied the preventive suspension sought by some residents of Mandaue City against Mayor Jonas Cortes and city officials.

The five complainants asked for their preventive suspension claiming there was strong evidence presented against Cortes and city officials for dishonesty.

The complainants filed the administrative case of dishonesty after the respondents promised to give P10,000 for housing materials to owners of houses affected in a fire that broke out in two sitios. But what was released turned out to be less than what was promised.

“We believe that the evidence presented is strong and that there is a great possibility that the continuance in office of the respondents could influence the witnesses or pose a threat to the safety and integrity of the records,” the complainants said.

The complainants are Helen Sungahid, Letecia Sinagpolo, Evelyn Delionardo, Evangeline Soco and Leonardo Delacado, all residents of barangay Umapad, Mandaue City.

However, anti-graft officer Maria Regina Fernandez denied their motion stating that there was not enough evidence to show the possibility of the respondents tampering with evidence.

Fernandez said the evidence of guilt is not strong and cannot justify the issuance of a preventive suspension order.

It was on May 24, 2009 when a fire broke out at sitios Lemonsito and Mangga in barangay Umapad. About 280 residential houses were gutted down and about 506 households were affected.

The SP then passed a resolution on May 26, 2009 declaring the two sitios “in a state of calamity” and released P6,025,000 from the City’s calamity fund as assistance to the victims.

Each house owner was allotted P10,000 worth of housing materials and the renters, P5,000 worth of supplies.

It was the Central Lumber Corporation represented by Sergio Dy who delivered the housing materials and supplies to the Mandaue City, distributed by City Social Welfare Officer Violeta Cavada.

However, complainants claimed the distributed materials were substandard and the materials’ costs were less than the budgeted P10,000. This claim was allegedly supported by SP Member Procopio Villanueva, an engineer tasked to inspect the housing materials.

Investigation conducted by the SP revealed that each homeowner received housing materials amounting to P9,690.

The respondents of the case are Mayor Cortes, former City Administrator Briccio Boholst, Social Welfare Officer Violeta Cavada, BAC Chair Lamberto Marababol, BAC members Eliseo Ceniza, Eutiquio Sanchez, Oscar Quirante, Dario Mago and Antonio Sanchez and Dy, representative of Central Lumber Corporation.   - (THE FREEMAN)