The Interior department on Wednesday filed administrative and criminal charges before the Ombudsman against the governor of Aklan and 16 other officials for their negligence in the management of Boracay Island.
Undersecretary for Operations Epimaco Densing III filed charges of graft, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, conduct unbecoming of public officials and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against Gov. Florencio Miraflores, Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling, Vice Mayor Abram Sualog and members of the municipal council.
Included in the charges were the provincial environment and natural resources officers and even village officials.
Densing said former local officials would also be charged over the collection of environmental fees on Boracay Island.
“Just last week, we received a response from CoA [Commission on Audit] that they will be conducting a special audit on the environmental fees collected in the last five years. That should be part two”•involving the officials who are no longer incumbent,” Densing told ANC television.
“This is just the first tranche. We are talking about administrative and criminal charges against incumbent officials.”
Densing called on Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to issue a preventive suspension on Miraflores and the other officials.
He blamed the governor for failure to ensure the cleanliness of the island and the Malay officials for the issuance of business permits to allow commercial establishments to operate despite the lack of appropriate documents.
On April 26, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the closure of the islands’s operation to pave the way for its six-month rehabilitation.