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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Tuesday, May 23, 2017
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ILOILO City – The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas found former mayor Peter Paul Lopez of San Dionisio, Iloilo guilty of nepotism.
In 2015 Lopez, through an executive order, designated his son and executive assistant Carlos Paul Lopez as acting licensing officer of San Dionisio.
The post of licensing officer was a career position in the civil service, according to the Sangguniang Bayan of San Dionisio. They filed a complaint against the then mayor before the Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman came out with a decision on Sept. 2, 2016 but this was made known only yesterday.
“Wherefore, finding Peter Paul King Lopez guilty of nepotism, he is meted the penalty of dismissal from service,” read part of the Ombudsman’s decision.
Not San Dionisio’s mayor anymore, Lopez could no longer be dismissed from the service. But he had other penalties. The Ombudsman ordered the forfeiture of all his benefits and perpetually disqualified him from holding public office.
The Ombudsman also cancelled all of Lopez’s civil service eligibilities.
Aside from accusing Lopez of nepotism, the Sangguniang Bayan of San Dionisio also accused the then mayor of violating Civil Service Commission’s Memorandum Circular No. 6 -2015 (career positions must be filled with permanent appointments).
Defending his son’s appointment as acting licensing officer, Lopez argued that this was just an extra assignment as executive assistant in the Office of the Mayor “in the exigency of the service.” He cited the Office of Mayor’s goal to increase tax collections.
Lopez also told the Ombudsman that his son’s appointment was cleared by the Human Resource Management Office of the local government of San Dionisio.
According to the Sangguniang Bayan, however, nowhere was it stated in the executive order that the mayor’s son’s appointment as acting licensing officer was a mere extra assignment as executive assistant.
The Sangguniang Bayan also stressed that the post of licensing officer was a plantilla position.
According to the Ombudsman, “Nepotism under the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service is classified as a grave offense punishable by dismissal from the service. Thus, as provided by law, there is no other penalty that should be imposed on respondent than the penalty of dismissal.”
Panay News tried to get Lopez’s side but calls to his mobile phone number were unanswered./PN
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