Ombud decision won’t stop Gwen from running for governor

DAVIDE

“THAT’S hilarious.”

Cebu Gov. Hilario “Junjun” Davide III found the claims of former governor, now House Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia that the denial of her motion for reconsideration was because of the friendship between Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and his father former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.

“The trouble with her she blames others for her folly except herself,” Davide told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday (Aug. 14).

“I already said dili ko manginlabot niana (I will not interfere on that issue). That is not my decision to make,” he added.

In a statement, Garcia said Carpio – Morales — who approved her dismissal from service and perpetual disqualification to hold public office, was “incapable of rendering a fair and just decision against me, owing to her personal closeness to Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr, whose son I am running against in the next elections.”

“Her denial of my motion for reconsideration in this case, therefore, which was filed by her friend’s son, comes as no surprise,” she added.

According to Garcia, while the decision is ‘executory,’ it is not final but can be raised on appeal before the Court of Appeals (CA).

She stressed that the Ombudsman decision in this administrative case “is not a bar to my filing my certificate of candidacy.”

She also said the only bar from running for public office is conviction by final judgment of a crime involving moral turpitude or an offense that carries a penalty of more than one year.

“Only the courts have the authority to do so in a criminal case where the accessory penalty is warranted. We will seek recourse with the Court of Appeals and we are confident that we will prevail,” her statement read.

In a late afternoon television interview, Garcia said her lawyers have filed an Appeal with the CA assailing the Ombudsman decision.

Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Kristine Suzanne Fineza denied Garcia’s Motion for Reconsideration and Supplemental Motion for Reconsideration in an order dated July 18, for having no sufficient basis to reverse their earlier ruling.

The Ombudsman found Garcia guilty of grave misconduct for her P24.47 million project to reclaim and backfill a largely underwater Balili property in Barangay Tinaan, Naga City, without approval from the Provincial Board. The Balili property was bought when she was the governor of Cebu.