THE Office of the Ombudsman announced on Wednesday the conviction of former Caibiran mayor Melchor Maderazo of Biliran for six to eight years of imprisonment for graft.
The Sandiganbayan also ordered that Maderazo perpetually disqualified from holding public office and that he must pay P305,481.06 as civil liability to the government.
The anti-graft court also convicted his co-accused former municipal accountant Orlando Salentes Jr. and municipal budget officer Dionisio Veruen Jr.
Prosecutors from the Ombudsman established that Maderazo and company illegally facilitated the release of his salaries and other benefits despite being placed under a series of suspension orders from the Sandiganbayan and by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
After serving his suspension, Maderazo directed Salentes and Veruen to process the payment of his back salaries from September 2002 to September 2003 totaling P305,481.06.
The Sandiganbayan decision said Maderazo failed to justify the receipt of back wages.
“Under Section 64 of the Local Government Code and Section 13 of Republic Act No. 3019, unequivocally provide that an official under preventive suspension is not entitled to salaries and benefits while under preventive suspension. It is only upon exoneration that the official may be entitled to such back salaries and benefits," it read.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman reprimanded President Manuel A. Roxas, Zamboanga del Norte town mayor Jan Hendrik Vallecer for his failure to reply to a letter from a former councilor asking about the release of his package of benefits.
The Ombudsman said Vallecer ignored the communication letter of Rumar Legara, a Sangguniang Bayan member whose term ended on June 30, 2016.
Legara, in a July 21, 2106 complaint, said he submitted the claim voucher for his terminal leave benefits to the respondent’s office for approval, and that a follow-up was made on July 27, 2016.
Legara said he was told that that his papers were referred back to the office of the municipal accountant.
But due to lack of advice as to the status of his request, Legara wrote Vallecer Aug. 2, 2016 to request for the release of his terminal leave benefits, but the the letter was ignored.
In his counter-affidavit, Vallecer said the request for terminal leave benefits remained pending due to Legara’s unpaid accountability with the municipality.
“The respondent kept the complainant in the dark by failing to apprise him about the status of his claim. While respondent may have a valid reason for disapproving complainant’s claim, he should have let complainant know about it by replying to his letter,” the Ombudsman resolution read.
Section 5 of Republic Act No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees) mandates all public officials and employees to respond to letters, telegrams or other means of communications sent by the public; and that the reply must contain the action taken on the request.