Councilor, aide file graft plaint vs Claveria mayor, father, bro, former officials

By HERBIE GOMEZ
Editor in chief

A COUNCILOR and a former town hall worker in Claveria, Misamis Oriental have filed a graft complaint against the town’s mayor, vice mayor, ex-mayor and eight former councilors.

The complaint for malversation of public funds was filed at the Office of the Ombudsman by Claveria councilor Orville Achas and former town hall senior administrative aide Freddie Jampit this March 9 against Claveria Mayor Meraluna Abrogar, Vice Mayor Reynante Salvaleon and their father ex-mayor Redentor Salvaleon, former municipal councilors Richard dela Cruz, Rodrigo Dumaluan, Joecard Dalman, Cesar Escoro, Ma. Luisa Ong, Noel Mopos, Victorino Busalla and Marcelino Dalen.

Also charged were municipal accountant Elvie Naquila, former municipal budget officer Luz Dacobor and former town social welfare and development officer Ledelma Nacario.

Achas and Jampit asked the ombudsman to order the preventive suspension of the incumbent officials for six months without pay pending administrative adjudication.

The complaint, a copy of which was sent to the Gold Star Daily, was based on the release of some P2.2 million as incentives to retiring town government officials based on an Oct. 5, 2015 municipal ordinance that was approved by the then mayor Redentor Salvaleon on Nov. 9, 2015.

The assailed ordinance entitled Mayor Abrogar and her father, and other “retiring” officials of cash incentives that ranged from P75 thousand to P150 thousand for regular employees depending on their length of service, and P100 thousand for each term of office for elected officials and those holding ex officio positions.

The complainants alleged that many of the respondents collected their monetary awards before the 2016 elections even as they called the 2015 ordinance “self-serving,” and “class legislation.”

In their complaint, Achas and Jampit cited an audit observation memorandum by a Commission on Audit (COA) team that questioned the legality of the ordinance. They also cited an opinion of the Civil Service Commission that “the grant of the award is without legal basis and therefore, illegal.”

They asked that the respondents return the money they collected to the town hall.

Those who collected the money and the breakdown of the incentives based on the complaint: Mayor Abrogar, P300 thousand; former mayor Salvaleon, P300 thousand; Mopos, P100 thousand; Escoro, P300 thousand; Dumaluan, P600 thousand; Dacobor, P150 thousand; Busalla, P100 thousand; Dalen, P200 thousand Nacario, P150 thousand.

The complainants said Abrogar, who was vice mayor in 2015, was the presiding officer of the town council when it passed the assailed ordinance while her brother, now vice mayor Salvaleon, was a councilor who were among those who approved the incentives.

Also included as respondents because of their participation in the passage of the ordinance were the then councilors dela Cruz, Ong and Dalman. The other former councilors were accused of approving the ordinance and collecting the assailed incentives.

Town hall accountant Naquila allegedly certified the availability of the funds while former budget officer Dacobor and former social welfare and development officer Nacario were included because they collected P150 thousand each.