Ombud orders Bejato answer Elot raps

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered one of the accusers of Mayor Oscar Moreno to answer the accusations of graft filed against him by city accountant Beda Joy Elot.

Puntod barangay chairman Marvin Beja was given 10 days from the day he receives the order to submit his counter affidavit.

The order is contained in a three-page document signed on Oct. 5, 2016 by Marco Anacleto Buena, officer-in-charge of the Evaluation and Investigation Bureau of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Buena said Beja’s failure to submit his counter-affidavit during the 10-day period would be seen as a waiver of his right to reply, and the investigation would proceed based on existing rules with or without his answer.

Beja was charged with conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the public service,  dishonesty and grave misconduct by Elot, an official the barangay chairman earlier sued together with Mayor Moreno and city budget officer Percy Salazar.

The Court of Appeals (CA) recently upheld the decision of the ombudsman to slap Elot and Salazar with a suspension order for 90 days while Moreno was directed to pay a fine equivalent to his salary for three months. The case was filed by Beja in connection with the lease of a house for a city hall boxing program without the approval of the city council.

Elot, a lawyer, fought back and charged Beja with violation of RA 3019, otherwise kbnown as the anti-graft law.

Elot accused Beja of breaking the law with the release of over P500 thousand to give bonuses to Barangay Puntod officials and employees four times in 2015.

Meanwhile, the ombudsman ordered Elot to submit her reply to the ombudsman if she receives a copy of Beja’s counter-affidavit. She was given 10 days from receipt of the counter-affidavit to submit her reply.