A FORMER mayor in Bohol province is “perpetually” barred from holding any position in government for unlawfully claiming reimbursements for expenses incurred in seminars that she didn’t attend during her term.
The Ombudsman-Visayas found former mayor Apolinaria Balistoy of Cortes town, Bohol province guilty of serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, and falsification of an official document.
She was ordered dismissed from service, but since she’s not in government service, she was fined in the amount equivalent to her salary for one year, payable to the anti-graft office.
The other accessory penalties are cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and prohibition from running for government office.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) was directed by the Ombudsman to enforce its decision.
Copies of the ruling will be furnished to the Commission on Audit and the Commission on Elections.
“It sufficiently appears that respondent employed fraud in committing the acts complained of. Her actions evinced an intent to commit material gain,” said graft investigation and prosecution officer Grace Razo-Ompod, whose ruling was approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.
The case stemmed from complaints of concerned citizens and some officials of Cortes town.
The former mayor allegedly made it appear that she attended four modules of training on Local Environment Governance and Barangay E-Agri in Quezon City in 2010.
Balistoy claimed that she and her son, Junn Eckart, attended and successfully completed the first module of the training on May 27 to 28, 2010 in Quezon City.
She paid P30,000 to the organizers of the seminars using public funds. In return, Balistoy received a reimbursement.
The complainants, however, found out that Balistoy attended another meeting on Land Use Conversion in Cebu City, also on May 27, 2010.
She also claimed reimbursement for traveling expenses amounting to P3,271.
The complainants said it was impossible for Balistoy to attend the seminar in Quezon City on May 27, 2010 since she was also attending a meeting in Cebu City on the same date.
The second module of the training in Quezon City took place on July 2, 2010.
Again, Balistoy and her son were issued with Certificates of Attendance for allegedly attending and successfully completing Module 2.
The Cortes municipal government paid P16,000 for the second module of the training. Balistoy again claimed and received the reimbursement.
But the complainants said Balistoy presided a meeting at the time.
The Commission on Audit, which conducted an examination of the costs of training and travel expenses incurred by the respondent, stated that the reimbursements received by Balistoy were “irregular.”
Another team of state auditors issued a Notice of Disallowance on the payment the municipality made worth P105,000 to cover modules one to 4 of the training attended by Balistoy and her son.
The transactions, COA said, were “very doubtful, highly irregular, and not proper.”
In her counter-affidavit, Balistoy insisted that she and her son physically attended the four modules of training on Local Environment Governance and the Barangay E-Training as evidenced by the Certificates of Appearance she obtained.
The anti-graft office, however, did not give credence to Balistoy’s defenses which opposed the documentary evidence the office obtained.
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