Cainta mayor charged with graft

MANILA, Philippines - Cainta Mayor Ramon Ilagan is facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly refusing to reinstate the city’s vice mayor despite orders from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

In a six-page complaint, Arturo Sicat also filed administrative complaints against Ilagan for grave misconduct, oppression, grave abuse of authority, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. 

Sicat also accused Ilagan of violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act  for “causing undue injury to any party, including the government, or giving any private party any unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.”

Sicat said municipal administrator Rizalina Timbol, Councilor Glenn Gongora, municipal treasurer Luzviminda Luacan and municipal budget officer Juliet Tibay should also be held liable for refusing to recognize him as vice mayor and refusing to release his salary. 

Sicat said he complied with an order issued by the DILG relieving him of his post in relation to an administrative case filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman when he was still a councilor last July 6. 

However, he said Ilagan refused to honor another DILG directive issued after two months to defer the suspension order against him.

Sicat said Gongora, who replaced him as vice mayor and Ilagan and Timbol “ignored my re-assumption of office and barred me from performing my functions.”

He said he wrote a letter to Ilagan last Nov. 28  to issue a memorandum informing all department heads to recognize his return and pay his salaries but it was again ignored.

Sicat said the DILG issued a certification recognizing him as Cainta vice mayor last Dec. 20 but Ilagan and his officials still refused to allow him to perform his duties.