Ombudsman suspends BI exec

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered yesterday the suspension of an official of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after he flunked the government’s lifestyle check.

Ordered suspended for six months without pay was Rodrigo Pedrealba, Immigration Officer II, assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal I for alleged grave misconduct and dishonesty.

Records showed that Pedrealba consistently declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) from 1996 to 2004 that he owns only one car, an agricultural/residential lot in Novaliches, a residential lot in Quezon City and another residential lot in Bulacan.

However, a probe conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) later found out that Pedrealba bought at least six different vehicles, but were not declared in his SALN on the years these were purchased.

The Ombudsman also said that as Pedrealba only declared payments for a car loan in two instances, it appears that five of the vehicles were purchased in cash.

According to the Office of the Ombudsman, records from the Land Transportation Office (LTO) showed that Pedrealba currently owns a Honda Civic worth at least P827,000; a Ford sports utility vehicle worth at least P955,000; a Ford Lynx sedan worth P685,000; and a motorcycle.

Further investigation by the Ombudsman also found out that Pedrealba registered under the name of his father, Marcial Pedrealba, a Honda CRV worth P1.1 million, a two-storey house in an exclusive subdivision (Metrogate Complex) in Meycauayan, Bulacan; and three other lots in the said province.

The Ombudsman said Pedrealba’s father does not have the financial resources to purchase the said properties as he has retired from government service more than 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, the Ombudsman also found out that Pedrealba’s other suspected ill-gotten assets have been registered under the name of his sister Liza Pedrealba.

These include a corner lot in Metrogate where a large two-storey house was built; a 1998 Honda Civic; and two other properties in Meycauayan, Bulacan.

According to the Ombudsman, the sister also does not have the means to acquire the said properties on her P5,000 monthly income.

Liberty, another sister of Pedrealba, who has no record of business interests or financial connections, is also the registered owner of five parcels of land in Bulacan, the Ombudsman said.

Pedrealba has also made 12 foreign trips since 1996. Pedrealba was accompanied in two of these trips by his two sisters, the Ombudsman said.

"Given the official’s meager income of P13,393 per month as Immigration Officer II, there exists no plausible explanation than that the funds used to purchase the said properties came from illegitimate sources, and that he tried to conceal ownership of his properties by placing them under the name of his relatives," the Ombudsman said.

In her order, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez directed Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez to immediately implement Pedrealba’s suspension.