Barili mayor's case vs woman junked

CEBU, Philippines - For lack of probable cause, the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the perjury complaint filed by Barili Mayor Teresito Mariñas against a woman who earlier charged him with nepotism before the anti-graft office.

Prosecutor Naruzen Delfin-Lorete said Mariñas failed to state the “material matter” of respondent Kim Carmela Veloso’s residence in the case he filed against the latter who earlier filed a nepotism case against him.

“In this case, complainant failed to state that the residence of herein respondent is a material matter, as a complainant, in the case for nepotism filed against him,” resolution reads.

In the complaint filed by Mariñas, the mayor alleged that Veloso filed an administrative case before the Office of the Ombudsman against him for nepotism which was “politically motivated and only to harass and destroy” him in Barili.

He added that in the complaint filed by Veloso before the Ombudsman, the latter said she was a resident of Poblacion, Barili, when in truth she was residing at Barangay Bituon, Dumanjug, Cebu.

Mariñas said that based on the certification from Comelec, Veloso was an active voter of Dumanjug.

The allegation of Mariñas was corroborated by Laurentino Ugang who said Veloso indeed lived in Bitoon. Ugang confirmed that Veloso was his neighbor and was residing about 50 meters away from their house.

In her counter-affidavit, the respondent denied the mayor’s allegations stating that the element of perjury was that it was a statement upon a material matter.

Veloso said her residence is not a material matter when she filed nepotism charges against Mariñas.

She claimed she was a resident of Barangay Poblacion, Barili and a registered voter. It was only during the 2010 elections that she transferred to Bitoon.

Veloso added that although she was a voter of Bitoon, she always stayed at Barangay Poblacion, which was why she used the said address in her complaint-affidavit.

In 2010, Veloso filed nepotism charges against Mariñas after he allegedly appointed his brother Aniceto as the Human Resources Management Officer in the municipal government.

Veloso said Aniceto’s appointment “is not only scandalous but prejudicial to the interest of the people of Barili.”(FREEMAN)