Ombudsman dismisses Leyte town mayor, 8 others for dishonesty
TACLOBAN CITY – The mayor and eight other officials of Palompon town in Leyte were ordered dismissed from the service by the Office of the Ombudsman for purchasing fuel, oil and lubricants worth about P57,000 for three unserviceable vehicles in 2021.
The Office of the Ombudsman found Mayor Ramon Oñate, seven incumbent councilors and a legislative staff member guilty of grave misconduct and serious dishonesty.
The eight officials were also disqualified from reentering government service.
Oñate, who faced the complaint when he was still a vice mayor, is now seeking a second term as mayor in the 2025 elections.
Aside from Oñate, also ordered dismissed from the service were incumbent Councilors Margarito Bensig Jr., Esperanza Sumalinog, Emmanuel Laurente, Consuelo Bonghanoy, Ranulfo Gaspan Sr., Jonathan Yap and Rene Camposano; and Debbie Ann Dignos, a local legislative staff assistant.
Acquitted by the anti-graft court were former councilors Evana Kirstie Misagal and William Balasabas, and municipal driver Ranulfo Gaspan Jr.
‘Purely ministerial’
Oñate, in an interview on Friday, claimed the Ombudsman’s decision was politically motivated and asserted that his role then as presiding officer of the municipal council was merely ministerial.
“We were all found guilty, yet the SB (Sangguniang Bayan) secretary, who prepared the documents and the contract, and the mayor, who released the funds, were not part of the complaint,” he said.
Oñate said the complainant was Ian Jay Arevalo, husband of then mayor Georgina Arevalo.
According to Oñate, Georgina would be challenging his reelection bid in next year’s polls.
He added that the same case was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas in Cebu in February last year but was refiled in October 2023 at the Office of the Ombudsman-Manila, which issued the decision that was delivered to him on Sept. 30, one day before the start of the filing of the certificates of candidacy (CoC) on Oct. 1.
“It was meant to distract me, but I am not bothered because I did not steal a single centavo from the government,” said Onate, who filed his COC for his reelection bid on Oct. 2.
The 22-page ruling of the anti-graft court was approved by Assistant Ombudsman Pilarita Lapitan and issued on Sept. 10.
‘Completely dilapidated’
Ian Arevalo alleged in the complaint that the 10 respondents misused local funds when they allowed the purchase of fuel, oil and lubricants worth P57,870.05 for three “unserviceable vehicles” between January and March 2021.
He said these vehicles were “beyond repair and decommissioned since 2020,” as certified by the motor pool officer and general services officer of the municipal government.
The vehicles were merely “parked in the junkyard, with mutilated plates and completely dilapidated.”
In the ruling, the anti-graft court said that Oñate and the other officials “unlawfully used their respective public offices to procure some benefits for themselves.”
And by employing fraud and falsification of public official documents made them liable for serious dishonesty, the ruling added. INQ
