Celino vows to file more cases against ex-mayor
ROXAS CITY – Mayor Angel Alan Celino has vowed to file more cases against his predecessor Vicente Bermejo after he filed a complaint against the former mayor before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas for allegedly taking the “hot logs” seized by the City Hall for his personal use.
Charged along with Bermejo were Liga ng mga Barangay president Wilson Acervo, Olutayan Brgy. Captain Manuel Aninang and City General Services Office Head Glenn Amane.
“We will not stop there and may be every week, there will be cases against Bermejo,” Celino said during a press briefing Monday.
He said the audit team is looking into other possible anomalies committed by Bermejo during his stint as mayor that brought financial constraints to the city government.
Earlier, Celino accused Bermejo of leaving the city government lacking funds despite Bermejo’s pronouncement that he is leaving City Hall better than it was before.
Last Friday, Celino filed the case against Bermejo, Acervo, Aninang and Amane for malversation through falsification of public documents.
Based on the complaint filed by Celino, the four officials “willfully, unlawfully, feloniously and fraudulently misappropriated, embezzled and took away from the City General Services Office the lumber which they appropriated and converted to their personal use.”
Such act is punishable under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.
The filing of the case was based on the recommendations of the City Council committee on good government, chaired by Councilor Julius Abela, that investigated the case.
According to the committee report, the P76,862-worth lumber were confiscated by the city government from a watershed in Sitio Catao, Brgy. Cudian, in Ivisan, Capiz in Feb. 15, 2005.
The lumber composed of narra and mahogany were allegedly cut by a certain Pio Jude Belo without the permission of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Belo was charged for illegal logging during the stint of former Mayor Antonio del Rosario, now first district congressman, however, the case was dismissed.
During the press conference, Abela blamed Bermejo and the three other officials for taking the “hotlogs” for their personal use thus, the court dismissed the case against Belo for lack of evidence.*
