WITH the Sandiganbayan clearing her of charges, Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado can resume office anytime soon.
“(The Department of Interior and Local Government doesn’t) need to issue an order for Mayor Alegado to resume office. She is the elected mayor of Consolacion and she can (return anytime),” DILG Provincial Director Jerome Gonzales said.
Gonzales said Alegado need only inform the Consolacion Municipal Council and the Consolacion municipal government of her acquittal on charges of unlawful appointment last June 28.
The Fifth Division of the Sandiganbayan dropped the charges due to insufficient evidence to establish the mayor’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Gonzales said while the provincial DILG office has yet to receive a copy of the Sandiganbayan decision, there is no need for them to sign an order clearing Alegado’s return to office.
He said the hold departure order issued last March 2016 against Alegado was lifted.
“Alegado’s suspension was preventive. It was not a penalty,” Gonzales clarified.
The case against Alegado stemmed from a complaint filed by a certain Arlene Panoncillo at the Ombudsman–Visayas against Alegado’s appointment of Engineer Danilo Capangpangan as chief of the municipal hall’s General Services Office.
Capangpangan took the post even if he had no degree in public administration, which is a requirement for the job.
The DILG provincial office served the 90-day suspension last June 9 on orders of the Sandiganbayan. Councilor Joannes Alegado, the mayor’s son, served as acting mayor of Consolacion since Vice Mayor Aurelio Damelo was abroad at the time.