Selfies on Facebook did Prexy, sister in

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .

THE selfies shared by ex-councilor President Elipe’s siblings on the online social media and social networking site Facebook in 2013 were what sparked a full-blown investigation that resulted in a two-year court trial and the subsequent conviction of the former local legislator and his sister for graft and falsification of public documents, a former city administrator said yesterday.

Dionnie Gersana, a retired city administrator and the man behind the complaint against Elipe and his sister Pristine Quizon, said the photographs posted on Facebook caught the attention of city hall investigators who were doing a personnel audit at that time.

The selfies, reportedly posted by Elipe’s brother Prince, also known as Matoy, showed Quizon was in China during a week in October 2013. Incidentally, it was the same week in Quizon’s daily time record that showed that she supposedly reported for work in the city council.

Quizon served as the then councilor Elipe’s secretary.

Gersana said the discovery of the public document falsification was what prompted him to file a complaint against Quizon and her brother President before the Office of the Ombudsman in 2014.

Two years later, the ombudsman filed criminal cases for graft and falsification of public documents against Elipe and Quizon, and the trial ended with their July 6, 2018 conviction. Aside from being disqualified from holding public office for life and a P5-thousand fine, the siblings were also meted two prison sentences — a maximum of 10 years for graft and a maximum of eight years for falsification or a total of 18 years.

To make matters worse, the siblings also posted their travel documents apparently to show off, Gersana said.

“Ang Facebook gyud ang naka-among nila kay ilang mang gi-post pati ang ilang travel documents,” he said.

Gersana said the self-incriminating Facebook posts prompted city legal officer Donald Delegencia to ask the Bureau of Immigration to validate the information provided on Facebook by one of the Elipe siblings.

“The Bureau of Immigration replied and confirmed that they were in China [at that time],” Gersana said.

He said the Elipe siblings were not singled out in the personnel audit that started when Mayor Oscar Moreno assumed as the new mayor in 2013.

Gersana said he was serving as city hall’s personnel officer when the then incoming city administrator Hilario Raagas formed a transition team shortly before Moreno assumed office.

He said the transition team conducted a local government personnel audit, including those in the city council, to determine the size of city hall’s workforce.

Gersana said the audit continued, and they later found out that Quizon was serving in the staff of Elipe.

“Wala nako masayod kanus-a siya (Quizon) nagsugod pagtrabaho sa city council basta kay didto sa among personnel audit, it was confirmed nga she is one of the city council employees,” he said. “Wala siya i-single out sa among personnel audit. That was at large kay tanan man empleyado sa city hall kay bag-o gud ang administration.”