Councilor sacked for dishonesty

A Malabon councilor was ordered dismissed from the service by the Ombudsman after he was found guilty of dishonesty and of falsifying public documents in a case filed against him last year.

In a seven-page decision, Ombudsman Aniano Desierto issued the order against Malabon minority Councilor Venancio Sevilla which carried with it "the forfeiture of all his retirement benefits and accrued leave credits and with prejudice to re-employment in any branch of government, including government-owned or controlled corporations."

In the complaint they filed against Sevilla, administration Councilors Rogelio Yanga and Lucio Santos alleged that the former had lied in his Personal Data Sheet (PDS) executed on July 2,2001 when he allegedly said he had no pending criminal case and that he has never been a candidate in any national or local election.

"The truth of the matter is that he has a pending criminal case for assault upon an agent in authority at Branch 55 of the Malabon Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC). He also ran as councilor of Malabon in 1992 and 1995 and as vice mayor in 1998 but lost," the complainants said.

Yanga and Santos added that Sevilla’s attempt to cover up the fact that he has been accused of a crime for which he could be removed from office is an act of dishonesty.

In his defense, Sevilla alleged that when the PDS was prepared by his staffer, Editha Mendoza, he "signed it without reading the same."

The complainants argued back that the data stated in the PDS could not have been all known to Mendoza except upon his instructions, clearly showing that entries therein were provided by him. They said Mendoza perjured herself in giving false testimony to exonerate Sevilla in his attempt "to make good his record."

Sevilla, commenting on the Ombudsman’s ruling, said the case is politically motivated. Sevilla has consistently fought against the continued stay in office of Yanga and Santos whom he described as "excess baggage" in the local council. – Jerry Botial