A SURIGAO mayor is facing graft raps before the Office of the Ombudsman for using public property to build his own private resort.
In a seven-page resolution, the Ombudsman indicted Mayor Rogelio Pimentel of Tago, Surigao del Sur, along with punong barangay Herminigildo Reyes, for malversation and violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019, or Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
In December 2013, Barangay Unaban in Tago received 286 sacks of cement and 280 steel bars from the office of the provincial agriculturist to build a solar dryer.
In January 2014, Pimentel took the construction materials with the blessing of Reyes, and used them to construct his privately owned resort.
In a local radio interview, he even admitted he personally used the construction materials.
The Ombudsman dismissed Pimentel’s defense that the materials were taken due to a looming flood and claimed that he replenished the materials.
“[Pimentel] opted to utilize the materials for personal purposes despite the fact that [they] were public properties,” its resolution read.
“The attendance of bad faith, manifest partiality, or gross inexcusable negligence is apparent in respondent’s blatant disregard for the rules concerning the use of public properties.”