Ombudsman orders Pasay treasurer axed for undeclared wealth

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the Pasay City treasurer dismissed from government service for having undeclared assets.

The Ombudsman said Concep cion Daplas failed to declare certain properties in her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) in 1993 and 1997, among them a Mitsubishi Galant worth P250,000 and a 15-percent share in the stocks of real estate firm KEI Realty worth as much as P2.3 million.

The Ombudsman found Daplas guilty of dishonesty, grave misconduct and violating Republic Act 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The Ombudsman said even if the Mitsubishi Galant was purchased by Daplas’ deceased husband using his own money, all properties acquired during a marriage are presumed to belong to the conjugal partnership and should be declared. 

The Ombudsman also said even if Daplas had immediately divested her shares of stock in KEI Realty upon learning of the allegations of irregularities against her, she is not “exculpated” from “any liability.”

“The fact remained that she did not declare this substantial business interest in her 1997 SALN. Worth mentioning is the fact that the respondent had a total subscription of P1.5 million, out of which the amount of P800,000 had been paid. This amount is very significant which could have increased her net worth for the year 1997 to approximately P2.3 million,” the Ombudsman said.

The Revenue Integrity Protection Service under the Department of Finance filed the complaint against Daplas on April 15, 2005.