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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Thursday, February 9, 2017
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BACOLOD City – Former mayor Monico Puentevella, and son and former executive assistant Rocky Anthony refused to receive the Office of the Ombudsman orders against them.
Carmelo Orbista, officer-in-charge of the local Department of the Interior and Local Government office, said they tried to serve a suspension order against Monico and a dismissal order against Rocky Anthony at their residence in Barangay Villamonte on Tuesday.
But the Puentevellas declined to receive them, Orbista said. He did not elaborate.
The DILG-Bacolod City was forced to send the orders to the former city hall officials via the postal office, said Orbista.
The Ombudsman found Monico and Rocky Anthony guilty of the administrative charges simple neglect of duty and grave misconduct, respectively, in connection with the sale of ukay-ukay, or used clothing, at the public plaza in 2014.
Then councilor Carlos Jose Lopez filed the case against them for allegedly allowing the trade without authority from the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Monico was suspended for three months, while Rocky Anthony was dismissed from the government service.
Both left the city government on June 30 last year. Monico lost his re-election bid to now Mayor Evelio Leonardia. Consequently, Rocky Anthony lost his post, which was coterminous to his father’s.
The Puentevellas claimed the orders were already “moot and academic” since they were no longer in public office.
But the Ombudsman said the penalties shall be converted into fines if they can no longer be enforced due to the respondents’ separation from office.
The Ombudsman also directed the Interior secretary to submit a compliance report within five days after the serving of the orders.
Puentevella was suspended twice before.
In November 2015, the Sandiganbayan preventively suspended him for 90 days in connection with the allegedly anomalous purchase of computer packages using his discretionary funds when he was still congressman in 2006.
In June last year, the Ombudsman also suspended him for a month for delaying the anti-graft body’s order suspending two building officials./PN
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