Brgy Bato officials cleared of criminal, administrative raps

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas has dismissed the criminal and administrative  complaints  filed against the officials of Barangay Bato, Sibonga, who were accused of refusing to issue barangay clearance to a couple, because of insufficiency of evidence.

Graft investigation and prosecution officer Sarah Jo Vergara dismissed the complaints against   barangay captain Cirila Montera and councilmen Joel Uy, Espelita Sordilla, Ruel Sultan, Virgilio Cabal, Abundio Rodriguez, Rosario Bacaling and Corazon Mabanta after the complainants, Gerson and Jojie Chan, failed to present sufficient evidence to prove their claim.

The complainants accused the barangay officials of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of  Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for allegedly refusing to issue a clearance for their poultry farm.

“Complainants insist on their entitlement to the clearance but then this office cannot give credence to their claim amid the reasonableness of respondents’ explanation, and this the absence of any showing that there was an abusive or oppressive exercise of discretion by respondent-barangay officials,” the anti-graft office resolution reads.

Vergara said the complainants failed to show that they have successfully gone through all the legal steps. She added that it was inappropriate for them to declare that they were deprived of their right to operate a business.

The couple said that when they applied for barangay clearance, the respondents “unreasonably refused to issue” resulting in the delay in the renewal of their business permit.

The barangay also passed a resolution revoking a prior resolution authorizing them to operate backyard poultry. They added that such actuation of the respondents was politically motivated as they were related with the political opponent of the incumbent mayor.

But the respondents said that there was nothing to renew considering that complainants have not applied for the clearance. Respondents said that they conducted an ocular inspection and found out that it was not mere backyard poultry but a commercial one. —/FPL (FREEMAN)