Cebu City—Claiming she has the backing of President Rodrigo Duterte, the newly-elected village captain of Barangay Mabolo here is in hot water after a five-star hotel security officer filed charges against her for grave misconduct and conduct unbecoming a public official.
Welbert Pepito, 40, a resident of Barangay Banilad, filed charges against barangay captain Prisca Niña Mabatid before the Ombudsman for alleged violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
Mabatid said Tuesday she has not yet received a copy of the complaint despite Pepito having filed it on June 26. She did not confirm nor deny the incident, but said she only protected herself when the security staff did not treat them well.
The village chief said the case is politically motivated, considering she is planning to run for president of the Association of Barangay Councils in Cebu City. Mabatid claimed President Duterte endorsed her as ABC Cebu City President.
“Who am I to refuse the Office of the President nga mudagan (to run)? But I am not decided. I want to know if I have the numbers,” she said.
Pepito said that while he was on duty on June 19, 2018, he noticed two people who “appeared to be drunk” entering the hotel at about 5 am.
They were about to ride the elevator when Pepito approached them and inquired if they were registered guests.
Instead of answering, Pepito said the woman asked him: “I am not a whore. Don’t you know me?”
Pepito explained that if they have not registered yet, they could approach the front desk while the woman continued her tirade about not being a whore and she is a corporate account holder.
When Pepito said he did not know her, she identified herself as the barangay chairman of Mabolo and her name is Niña Mabatid. Pepito then proceeded to ask her for her room number so he could verify it with the front desk.
The question further enraged Mabatid. Though he could not understand all the English words in slurred drunken talk, she mentioned a room number that he tried to write down.
At this point, the man later identified as Ramon Nacito Floresca suddenly punched Pepito on the face and kicked him on the stomach. While still clutching his stomach, the hotel’s duty manager Irene Juliet Lacerna arrived and tried to pacify Floresta and
Mabatid who was still shouting, “don’t you know me? I am Niña Mabatid. I am not a whore. I have a corporate account here!”
Even as she tried to explain they were only doing their jobs, Mabatid just kept on shouting while Floresta punched Pepito again. Putting herself between Pepito and Floresta, the latter hit her with an elbow to the chest. Floresta and Mabatid then went inside the elevator.
“I felt very much belittled and insulted by the manner that barangay captain Mabatid had mocked me and scoffed at my person by shouting at me and pointing fingers at me when I was just trying to do my job. It was obvious that she looked down on my person and my occupation by the way she was shouting at me,” Pepito’s affidavit reads.