Pinamungajan Mayor Glenn Baricuatro faces two administrative complaints for his alleged failure to implement the decision of the Ombudsman to suspend Municipal Treasurer Ursula Managaytay.
A certain Tirso Respondo of Guimbawian, Pinamungajan filed a 20-page complaint for grave gross negligence and abuse of authority against the mayor. Provincial Secretary Pulchra Marie Acevedo and Provincial Board (PB) Member Arleigh Jay Sitoy, chairman of the PB committee on complaints and investigation, received it last April 8.
The suspension order was “due for immediate execution” since November 2014, Respondo said. He added that Baricuatro will not implement Managaytay’s suspension because they are close allies.
“The fact that he personally knows that Mrs. Ursula Managaytay is due for suspension, and did not implement it, is an intentional act and a clear showing of abuse of authority,” he added.
The Office of the Ombudsman indicted Managaytay for simple misconduct for having issued in 2011 and 2012 acknowledgment receipts instead of official receipts for the P2,500 paid by market stall holders. She allegedly did not remit to the municipality the money she received from the vendors.
The P2,500 cash bond is required for vendors to occupy a stall in the public market.
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The president of the market vendors association of Pinamungajan Public Market, Jeffrey Lingad, and their secretary, Aniceta Tejamon filed the administrative case against Managaytay.
Managaytay returned their payment on July 31,2013. The complainants said this showed that “the money received were not turned over to the municipality and were kept privately by respondent; and that respondent abused” her position.
Baricuatro denied the claim of Respondo that he did not suspend Managaytay because she is close to him. He said he is still waiting for the Ombudsman’s reply.
“We are still waiting for the reply of the Ombudsman until now,”said Baricuatro, who received the decision against Managaytay last Jan. 14.
On Jan. 16, Managaytay wrote a letter to Baricuatro, attaching the motion to convert suspension into fine which she filed with the anti-graft office that day. On January 19, the mayor wrote a letter to the Ombudsman asking if he will still implement the suspension order even after the municipal treasurer filed the motion.
Baricuatro said he has not met or known Respondo.
“Wala gyod ko kaila ana niya pero basin tungod ra ni sa politika (I really don’t know him but I think this is all about politics),”he said.