SC stops Lipa mayor’s suspension

The Supreme Court ( SC) has stopped the suspension order imposed by the Office of the Ombudsman against Lipa City Mayor Meynardo Sabili for an administrative case.

In a resolution released last Friday, the high court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping the Court of Appeals (CA), the Department of Interior and Local Government and the ombudsman from implementing the ninemonth suspension against Sabili.

The CA earlier denied the mayor’s petition for a TRO.

The case stemmed from charges of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service filed against Sabili by his former clients in a land dispute case.

In a petition filed last month, Sabili invoked the condonation doctrine that extinguishes the administrative liability of an elective public official upon reelection.

Sabili was charged for acts allegedly committed in September 2010 and July 2012. He was elected mayor in May 2010 and re-elected in the 2013 and 2016 elections.

The complaint was filed in March last year by Oscar Camerino, Efren Camerino, Dionisia Enriquez, Gerardo Enriquez, Conrado Enriquez, Ramon Enriquez, Virgilio Enriquez, Mildren del Rosario, Nick del Rosario and Nielbert del Rosario.

The complainants, who were owners of parcels of property in Muntinlupa City, claimed they authorized Sabili to represent them in settlement cases and in all other transactions involving the property.

They said Sabili failed to perform his part in the case and harassed them when they refused to give him his share of the property.

Sabili alleged that despite the final settlement of all legal issues concerning the land, Camerino and his group failed to give him his share of the property in exchange for his services.

The group filed charges of grave threats against Sabili, but the case was dismissed by the Muntinlupa City prosecutor.