Former D’bantayan mayor sued

Former Daanbantayan Mayor Ma. Luisa Loot is facing an investigation before the anti-graft office for using two job order employees of the municipal government as her personal aides.

In a complaint lodged before the Ombudsman-Visayas, Loot purportedly assigned job order employees Walter Balazuela and Arfel Mosquedo as her personal driver and guard.

“For using these two job order employees for her own personal benefit, then mayor Loot could be held criminally liable,” said Rosanni Luche in her affidavit-complaint.

Luche, who presently works as private secretary of Augusto Corro, said Loot violated Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

She said Loot should also be held liable for malversation of public funds, and falsification of public documents.

Attached in Luche’s complaint were payrolls, appointments, personal data sheets and other documents related to Balazuela and Mosquedo.

She said the documents proved that the two job order employees are connected with the municipal government and should not be assigned at Loot’s house.

Politically-motivated

Provincial Board Member Sun Shimura, who represents the province’s 4th district ’said the latest graft case against her mother,a former Daanbantayan mayor, is politically-motivated and aimed to destroy her reputation in time for the next elections.

Shimura questioned why it took so long for the complainant to file the case when “they had all the time to bring up the irregularity” when her mother served as municipal mayor for three consecutive terms.

He said he suspects local rivals from the Liberal Party (LP) are behind the complaint.

“Why only now? That is my question to them. Sayop lang sila (they’re mistaken) because my mother doesn’t have plans to run again in 2016,” said Shimura, who spoke in behalf of Loot in a phone interview yesterday

“I also hope that they can prove their allegations in court,” said Shimura, a stalwart of the One Cebu Party.