Former bank cashier hauls Dao mayor to Ombudsman
ROXAS CITY – Dao Mayor Joselito “Bobo” Escutin, whose family owns the Rural Bank of Dao, has been charged at the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas by the bank's former cashier.
Documents obtained by The News Today (TNT) revealed that Mrs. Dolores Opano, a former cashier of Rural Bank of Dao who is a resident of Poblacion, Ilaya, Dao, Capiz, sued Escutin and Cyrus Armonio, municipal employee, of the crime of Libel committed by the use and abuse of public office and authority and administratively of “oppression”, “grave abuse of authority”, and “gross misconduct”.
The case stemmed from the posting of Opano's picture and name on bulletin boards and public places portraying her as a wanted person.
The case is docketed as OMB-V-C-09-0017-A and OMB-V-C-09-0022-A in the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas in Cebu City dated January 23, 2009.
In her affidavit-complaint, Opano said that sometime in the year 2007 the Rural Bank of Dao suffered liquidity problems in which the Escutin family unfairly passed the blame on her.
She said that putting the blame on her was unfair because, in truth and in fact, the problems incurred by the bank were caused by the malpractices being committed by its manager Geraldine Y. Escutin, mother of Mayor Escutin.
According to her, on August 2007 Geraldine Escutin forced her to resign and the other bank employees to also sign their resignation papers.
She added that in early 2008, without her knowledge, the bank through the manager filed cases of Qualified Theft against her before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office docketed as Criminal Case Numbers C-191- 08 and C-192-08 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 19, Roxas City where subsequently she was unable to file a counter-affidavit.
Opano said that she was able to post bail in the amount of P108,000 however despite that, she learned that sometime in August 2008 posters containing her picture were posted in the bulletin board of the municipal hall and in a gas station with written words “Wanted: DOLORES “DIDIN” OPANO, with respective criminal cases for Qualified Theft Contact: PNP Reward.”
“I was publicly shamed, ridiculed, and embarrassed of the wanted posters publicly posted in Municipal Building of Dao and the Gas Station,” she said adding that her husband Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Member Godofredo Opano and his family were also publicly shamed, ridiculed, and embarrassed.
The complainant said that he went to Dao Police Station asking the removal of the posters several times but the police denied her request.
The case was witnessed by Norma N. Cabato and Rene Vicencio, all of the same place.
The former cashier also prayed through the Office of the Ombudsman that the mayor be placed for preventive suspension for 6 months pending the investigation of the case.
Meanwhile, Mayor Escutin refused to comment regarding the case against him when reached by this writer. He said, he has yet to receive his copy of the complaint.