OFF THE HOOK
Ombudsman reconsiders 6-month suspension on Igbaras mayor, stays firm on 2 other town execs

By Florence F. Hibionada

Good news and bad news for Igbaras Mayor Jaime Esmeralda. 

In a two-page order obtained by The News Today , Esmeralda is now off the hook albeit temporarily on graft charges.

Mayor Esmeralda

This, after the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas reconsidered on its earlier order putting him on a 6-month preventive suspension.

While accompanied by the note “the same is hereby reconsidered without prejudice to the continuation of the case against him,” Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Primo Miro had the order approved alongside the anti-graft body's decision to dismiss the motion for reconsideration and motion to dismiss filed by the respondent mayor and two other Igbaras executives.

As such, Esmeralda remains as town mayor however Miro stood firm in ordering municipal treasurer Cynthia Cabanero and private secretary to the mayor Pio Elumba suspended from office. 

No less than Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas was directed to implement the preventive suspension in an order dated April 18, 2005 but was only made public this week.

The charges against the mayor and the two others stemmed from the complaint of Monsignor Meliton Oso of the People's Graftwatch of Iloilo.

In the respondent-officials' Motion, they argued that the subject suspension order “surprised” them for they have not seen the administrative complaint on hand.  Yet the Ombudsman stood pat on its position.

“It should be stressed that the present complaint, which was originally docketed as CPL-V-04-0520 for a fact-finding investigation deals with two (2) aspects, criminal and administrative.  The Final Evaluation Report dated 13 December 2004 in said CPL-V-04-0520 likewise categorically set forth the basis for the upgrading of the CPL to both criminal and administrative complaints.  Hence the present administrative case.  What is more, respondents have known of the existence of the administrative aspect of the case as this Office even issued two (2) separate Orders directing them to file their respective Counter-Affidavits as evidenced by the Registry Return Cards all bearing reference number 0362,” the Ombudsman in the order lengthily explained.

And thorough was the evaluation the anti-graft body did, it further insisted stating how said office did not just simply rely on one person's claim against them.