Dismissed principal denies accusations

CEBU, Philippines - A Talisay City public school principal who has been dismissed by the Ombudsman Visayas for dishonesty and falsification of documents has denied the accusations and even implicated a Department of Education official to the case.

Maria Lourdes Ipong, in a press conference at her office in Tangke Elementary High School, said she innocently received and signed a voucher for the check for P12,600 last December 2006.

She said she later on found out that that check would later implicate her in a complaint filed by the Talisay City Swimming and Life Saving Association, Inc. officers that accused her of pocketing the money which under the voucher was reimbursement for receipts of the swimsuits of the young athletes representing the Talisay City Central School to the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) in 2006 in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

Ipong, who is now principal of the Tangke Elementary School, said that she thought the check was a refund for the P22,000 she spent for the taekwondo equipment used by the school’s representative to the same competition.

She admitted that she was just too confident that she signed the voucher for the check without reading it.

“Honestly, wa ko kabantay nga para sa swimsuits ug trunks diay tong akong gipirmahan,” she said.

It was only in May 2007, when TCSLSAI officials Rolando Remolino, president; Ulysses Fernandez, treasurer; Alfie Fernandez, Vice President; and Annie Gabasa, secretary, and their spiritual advisers Fr. Tito Soquiño and Fr. Murphy Sarsonas filed a case before the Ombudsman against Ipong, the principal and Physical Education and School Sports Coordinator (PESSCOR) of Talisay City Central School, for falsification of public documents, dishonesty, grave misconduct, violation of the Anti-Graft

and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation of public funds before the Ombudsman when she learned about the lapse.

And just last March, finding her guilty of the allegations, the Ombudsman Visayas dismissed her from the service forfeiting all her benefits, and disallowing her from working in any public office.

The order has however not been implemented as of yesterday.

Ipong meanwhile filed her motion for reconsideration asking the anti-graft office to reverse its ruling for “utter lack of merit.”

In her 15-page motion submitted the other day, Ipong said she had no hand in preparing for the release of the check, and she said there are “discrepancies” in the documents which were signed by those in the city hall that prepared the P12,600.

For one, Ipong said the official receipt with the amount of P12,600 issued by Gaylou Marketing, reportedly owned by the private secretary of Mayor Socrates Fernandez, made Talisay City as the payor instead of her, as she was supposed to be the person who reportedly bought the swimming trunks.

That document alone will prove her innocence to the case, said Ipong.

Meanwhile, Ipong believed that Ofelia Hermosa, DepEd-Talisay City division assistant superintendent and who at the time of the filing of the case was principal of Mohon Elementary School, was behind it all.

Ipong said Remolino is Hermosa’s brother, and the two athletes that signed the position paper claiming they did not receive any swimsuits from the city government were the two’s nieces.

It was the TCSLAI officers who trained the athletes for the CVRAA meet.

“Obviously, Mrs. Hermosa used her brother Roland Remolino, president of Talisay City Swimming and Life Saving Association, Inc., the other officers and the priests who are spiritual advisers of the same association in filing this case,” read a portion of Ipong’s motion, prepared by her counsel Nestor Avila.

Ipong said Hermosa holds a “long-time grudge” against her which started around the time when they were both principals.

With this, Ipong said she will file a separate case against Hermosa.

Calls made to Hermosa for comment were not returned. – THE FREEMAN