Ombudsman Visayas takes interest on Gumabong case
Atty Edgar Gil
The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas has taken interest on the extortion case of controversial City Hall employee Ricardo Gumabong now pending at the City Legal Office (CLO).
OIC-Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago recently sent a letter to Atty. Edgar Gil, CLO chief, asking on the status of the case.
The letter was dated June 26, 2006 and it was received by the legal office Monday, July 10, 2006.
In the same letter, Santiago asked the CLO to submit the result of the fact-finding investigation ten days after they received the letter.
The same letter was furnished to a certain Rev. Ganchorre of the Bethel Temple Church.
It was not immediately known whether it was Ganchorre who informed the Ombudsman regarding Gumabong's case.
A source told The News Today Ganchorre belongs to a local anti-graft and corruption group.
On his part, Gil said they will still discuss the the result of their investigation. He said the result of the investigation will be based on the produced exhibits and documents and checks they gathered during the probe.
The probe ended on June 22, 2006, since then nothing was heard from the legal office.
A fact-finding group was created by Mayor Jerry Treñas to investigate Gumabong after he was involved in a failed extortion attempt of Philippine Phosphate Corporation in Muelle Loney, City Proper.
Rose Pharmacy and Nissan Corporation's Marissa Segovia later came out claiming they had also been victimized by Gumabong.
The committee has copies of letters sent by Gumabong to the Philippine Phosphate Corporation, Segovia and Rose Pharmacy. The photocopies of checks under Gumabong's name was issued by Rose Pharmacy.
To recall, before the investigation started Gil assured they will come up with the results before the end of the month.
In an interview with the City Hall Press Corps Tuesday stressed that the fact-finding committee was only tasked by Mayor Jerry Treñas to conduct an investigation and then submit recommendations.
He said it is up for the chief executive to affirm or dismiss the recommendation of the fact-finding team.
Gil said the final decision on what to do with Gumabong rests upon Mayor Treñas.