EFREN Guntrano “Gungun” Gica yesterday reclaimed his position as Dumanjug town mayor after the Court of Appeals granted his appeal.
This despite the absence of a reinstatement order from the Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG – 7).
Acting Mayor Rene Asentista confirmed Gica’s return and his stepping down to his original post as the town’s vice mayor.
“Yes, he assumed office today (Wednesday), and I also started my work as the vice mayor,” he said in a phone interview.
Gica was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman but the order was reversed by the CA.
“We cannot give an opinion yet since we haven’t received a copy of the decision,” said lawyer Ian Kenneth Lucero, chief of the Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the DILG.
He said Gica’s reinstatement would depend on the decision of the CA.
“It depends on the decision of the CA (Court of Appeals). That’s why we would like to ask for a copy of the decision,’ he said.
The Ombudsman found Gica guilty of serious dishonesty and grave misconduct and prohibited him from holding public office. The decision was reversed by the CA citing the Aguinaldo doctrine, which was reversed by the Supreme Court only in 2015. The case against Gica stemmed from acts committed in 2014.
“Petitioner may not be held administratively accountable for the misconduct he allegedly committed during his previous term as Vice Mayor of Dumanjug. This is so because he was subsequently re-elected as Mayor of Dumanjug,” the decision read.
At around 8 a.m. yesterday (Wednesday), Asentista said Gica arrived at the municipal hall and conducted a meeting with the town councilors and personnel to discuss plans for the upcoming town fiesta.
Cebu Daily News tried to reach Gica but to no avail.