Bulacan mayor faces 6-month suspension
MALOLOS CITY: The committee on justice and good governance of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Wednesday recommended that a six- month suspension be meted against Mayor Ronaldo Flores of Dona Remedios Trinidad ( DRT) after he was found guilty in the cases of “conflict of interest” and “abuse of authority” filed against him.
Six board members voted in favor of suspending the mayor, three voted no and four were absent.
Committee Chairman Enrique de la Cruz Jr., said that after almost two months of hearing and deliberating merits of the cases, the body has agreed that complainant Roberto Sembrano, village chief of Camachin village, has proven that his complaint against Mayor Flores is valid and true.
De la Cruz said that the six months suspension order will take effect after the respondent recieved the decision. He also requested that the “Ulat ng Lupon” be approved as a “decision” of the Sangguniang Panglalawigan.
Sembrano filed the cases of “conflict of interest” and “abuse of authority” against Flores on November 4, 2011. The complainant accused the mayor– “by abuse of power and or authority”—is engaged in illegal mining activities by extracting, stockpiling and transporting of iron ores from barangay Camachin, utilizing for his own gains some employee of the municipal government in order to conduct his illegal operations in the said village.
Sembrano further stated that Flores, being the incumbent mayor of DRT, is the issuing authority of Mayor’s and business permit of Ore Asia Mining and Development Corp. (Ore-asia), which has mining business in Camachin.
He added that through influence and abuse of authority, the respondent was able to contract, through its corporation Sky Trac Trucking and Marron Mineral Carriers Inc, the hauling services in transporting iron ores from Ore Asia’s extraction site to stockpile area and from the stockpile area to the pier.
Sembrano also said that this indicates the mayor’s conflict of interest and abuse of authority.
In his counter affidavit, Flores said that “the charges for unlawful mining activities and monopoly of hauling services are both unfounded and cannot be sustained.”
The committee on justice and good governance, however, found that Flores violated the law on the conflict of interest,
De la Cruz said that it was very clear that the accused is a public officer and that he has direct or indirect financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction. The body also found that the mayor has indeed abused his power when he used his position as municipal mayor to favor his trucks as the hauler of iron ore of Ore Asia by issuing permits, use of municipal employees in his personal business ventures, apprehension of rival trucks and threatening Ore Asia that he will not issue permit if they will not hire his company to haul ore and use the Ore Transport Permit of Ore Asia.