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Ombudsman junks graft, misconduct raps vs ex-VM ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY JOHN HEREDIA
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ROXAS City – “Vindicated” was how former vice mayor Ronnie Dadivas described what he felt when the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed the complaint that nine councilors filed against him in 2015.
Now the Capiz provincial legal officer considers filing a charge against his accusers.
In a resolution dated Oct. 15, 2016 the Ombudsman stated there was lack of probable cause and substantial evidence for the charges for graft, grave abuse of authority, oppression, and misconduct against Dadivas.
Then councilors Trina Marie Ignacio, Cesar Yap Jr., Matthew James Viterbo, Jennifer Poliran, Erlynne Lim, Jose Agdalipe, Julius Abela, Virgilio Santos, and Erwin Sicad (now vice mayor) filed the charges on April 29, 2015.
“I am vindicated,” Dadivas said in a radio interview. “I am weighing things now. Maybe I will file a case against them [for] dereliction of duty.”
The charges stemmed from the then vice mayor’s refusal to sign the payrolls/vouchers for the complainants’ salaries and allowances for January, February and March 2015.
Before that, the nine councilors expressed “loss of confidence” in their presiding officer for allegedly violating the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s internal rules.
They vowed not to attend sessions as long as Dadivas was the presiding officer.
According to the Ombudsman, Dadivas has proven in his counter-affidavit that the complainants had not been attending sessions despite a mandate by the Local Government Code.
The nine councilors did not file applications for leave of absence before Dadivas, the approving authority, stated the resolution signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and graft investigators Eleanor Tayad-De Mira and Euphemia Bacalso.
“For lack of probable cause to indict respondent Ronnie T. Dadivas for violation of Section 3 (e) and (f) of RA (Republic Act) No. 3019, as amended, this case is dismissed,” read part of the ruling.
“The corresponding administrative charge of grave abuse of authority, oppression and misconduct against respondent is likewise dismissed for lack of substantial evidence,” said the Ombudsman./PN
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