Guba treasurer cleared of misconduct charge

The Office of the Visayas Ombudsman has ordered dismissed an administrative case against Guba, Cebu City barangay treasurer Gay Langumis for lack of a valid cause.

Maria Corazon Naraja, graft investigation and prosecution officer, said in her resolution that there was no proof to support claims that Langumis misused their barangay vehicle.

Naraja added that exemptions can also be made to the trip ticket requirement when government vehicles are used during emergencies.

Langumis was investigated for misconducted after graft investigation and prosecution officer Jess Vicente dela Peña reported to the Office of the Ombudsman having seen a government vehicle with plate number SKK-850 at the vicinity of the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel on May 18, 2014, a Sunday.

During an investigation conducted by the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office (FIO), it was traced that the vehicle being referred to by dela Peña is a Kia multi-purpose van/cab issued to Barangay Guba through Langubis who is signatory of the acknowledgment receipt of equipment.

Investigators also found that the use of the vehicle on May 18 was without a valid trip ticket.

Langumis explained that their barangay tanod Reynaldo Romano was the one using the vehicle on said date.

Romano said in his affidavit that he was transporting a female passenger then, who was in need of immediate medical attention.

Naraja said Langumis and Romano’s explanation were suffice to justify the use of the vehicle even in the absence of a trip ticket.

She said in her resolution that the need for trip tickets is a means to “promote responsible use of government resources, to economize the use of fuel, and to discourage the misuse of government vehicles.”

But exemptions can be made during emergency situations, Naraja added.

“It was not shown that she (Langumis) misused the government vehicle or that she allowed someone else to misuse it,” said Naraja’s resolution.