Ombud suspends town mayor, four others

Barili Mayor Marlon Garcia and four other officials were ordered suspended for six months by the Office of the Ombudsman after they were found guilty of simple neglect of duty.

The suspension order stemmed from a complaint filed before the anti-graft office in 2014 against Garcia for the over-payment of leave credits to Barili Councilor Sheila Pason.

Aside from Garcia and Pason, also suspended were Vice Mayor Teresito Mariñas, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Richel Montemayor and disbursing officer Salome Merelos.

Department of the Interior and Local Government Cebu Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales served the suspension order against the five officials yesterday.

In an interview, Garcia said he plans to appeal the suspension.

He said his act of granting Pason’s leave credits was merely ministerial since it was based on records provided by the Human Resource and Development Office.

Garcia was still vice mayor when the complaint was filed.

“Ako ang gisuspenso, where is justice here? The penalty they applied on us is too oppressive,” Garcia told Sun Star Cebu yesterday.

He added that no conspiracy occurred since he had no access to the executive department.

In a separate interview yesterday, Gonzales said that with Garcia, Mariñas and Pason, who is the first councilor, suspended, Municipal Councilors Jeremias Aguilar and Nelson Gingoyon will serve as acting mayor and vice mayor, respectively.

Aguilar and Gingoyon are the second and third councilors.

Aguilar, in a separate interview, said it will be his first time to hold an executive position.

“Wala ko magdamgo ani,” he said, adding that he plans to coordinate with his fellow councilors on how to run the municipality in the next six months.