Ex-deputy ombudsman for Luzon faces raps

MANILA, Philippines - Former deputy ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni and two other former officials of the anti-graft agency were criminally charged before the Sandiganbayan yesterday on orders of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

Based on the 2011 complaint of Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro, Jalandoni, former assistant ombudsman Nennette de Padua, and former executive assistant Rosalyn Martinez face 13 counts of falsification of public documents and 56 counts of infidelity in the custody of public documents through concealment.

In a separate decision, Morales said she also found Jalandoni administratively liable for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Jalandoni was fined the equivalent of his salary for one year because he resigned in April 2011.

The offense is supposed to be penalized with dismissal from service, with the accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, perpetual disqualification from holding public office, and bar from taking the civil service examinations.

Casimiro filed the complaint against Jalandoni, De Padua, and Martinez after he discovered that they allegedly conspired in tampering with decisions, resolutions, orders and other official documents when they were in the Office of the Ombudsman.

The supposed irregularities were discovered when Casimiro took over from Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and ordered an inventory of pending cases.