CEBU City Councilor Jose Daluz III has been served a six-month suspension as penalty for allegedly failing to explain a sudden increase in his personal assets from 2006 to 2007.
The Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) served the suspension order from the Office in the Ombudsman in the Visayas yesterday morning in Daluz’ office at the Cebu City Hall’s legislative building.
The 17-page decision, penned by Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Carmelle Baybay-Suson, found the opposition councilor liable for Less Serious Dishonesty,
according to documents furnished to Cebu Daily News.
The recommended resolution was signed by Baybay-Suson on May 2, 2018. It was recommended for approval by Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente on June 13, 2018 and was approved by Overall Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang on July 21, 2018.
The decision stemmed from a complaint filed by the Field Investigation Office of the Ombudsman last January 2016 after a request was made by a certain Margarette Pe-Ong for the anti-graft body to conduct a lifestyle check on Daluz.
The anti-graft body found that Daluz failed to ‘sufficiently explain’ the increase of his personal properties from zero value in his 2006 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) to P1.029 million in 2007.
“It was manifestly and patently disproportionate to his salary as a Sangguniang Panglusod (Council) of Cebu City. He is administratively liable for dishonesty in concealing the true source of funds in acquiring the assailed personnel properties declared in his 2007 SALN,” the decision said.
Daluz, in response, defended the wealth he acquired in 2007, which included cash in hand or in bank amounting to P549,000, jewelry worth P120,000, and antiques that have a total value of P280,000.
In an interview with reporters yesterday, Daluz said these were the properties he obtained through inheritance shortly after his late mother died sometime in 2007.
Daluz said he would be filing a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals (CA) today, September 18, as an attempt to reverse the decision of the Ombudsman.
This after he received the suspension order despite submitting a motion for reconsideration (MR) when he received a copy of the Ombudsman’s decision last June, Daluz said.
“I submitted the MR to the Ombudsman on time, ten days after we received a copy of the decision, and we’re still waiting for any resolution about it,” said Daluz.
“I’m disappointed with the results but I’m hoping my petition will be granted because I’m confident in my argument because these are wealth I acquired through inheritance after my mother’s death,” he added.
With Daluz suspended, the Barug Team Rama-PDP-Laban’s number at the city council has been reduced from eight to seven. Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK), the administration bloc, holds the majority with 10 members.