BY PRINCE GOLEZ
Thursday, October 26, 2017
MANILA – Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog of Iloilo City was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for “serious dishonesty relative to his unlawful acquisition of wealth.”
The order stemmed from the complaint filed by former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada in 2015.
Mejorada questioned the sudden increase by P8.9 million in Mabilog’s net worth from 2012 to 2013.
“Simply, his (Mabilog) failure to properly account or explain his sources of income establishes the presence of malicious intent to conceal the truth, causing grave prejudice to the government in the amount of P8,981,082.52,” read part of the Ombudsman decision.
“Hence, respondent is found guilty of serious dishonesty and meted the supreme penalty of dismissal from the service, pursuant to Rule 10, Section 46 (A) of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service,” the Ombudsman said.
Mabilog was also slapped with the following accessory penalties:
- cancellation of civil service eligibility
- forfeiture of retirement benefits
- perpetual disqualification from holding public office and taking civil service examinations
The Ombudsman also ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary to implement the decision on Mabilog “immediately upon receipt thereof.”
Mabilog is currently on extended sick leave abroad to seek treatment for diabetes.
If the dismissal may no longer be enforced against Mabilog, “the penalty shall be converted into a fine in the amount equivalent to his salary for one year” and the accessory penalties “shall continue to be imposed.”
Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer III Rachel Cariaga-Favila penned the order on Aug. 29 and Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang approved it on Oct. 6.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman dismissed the charge of grave misconduct relative to the appointment of Patrick Allan Sy and the Iloilo One Esplanade Reality for lack of sufficient evidence.
The charge of dishonesty relative to the Mabilog’s loan in a bank in Canada was also dismissed for lack of merit./PN
