Ilocos Sur — Members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur — including the vice mayor of the municipality — filed charges against Santa Maria town Mayor Brigido Camarillo for allegedly committing Gross Negligence and Dereliction of Duty under Sec. 60 of Republic Act 7160.

Charges against the mayor were filed by Vice Mayor Michael Florendo and municipal councilors Rema Cabatu, Jose Marie Ancheta, Federico Calibuos, Arlon Serdenia, John Reyes and Kristoffer Tan last 26 January 2024.

The case stemmed from the mayor’s alleged failure to take action against an erring municipal treasurer, tolerating absentee employees and the alleged refusal to take action on important matters concerning the municipality.

Also included in the complaints were the failure to convene meetings as mandated by law and unjustified and unauthorized physical absence from office and has impaired decision-making ability due to “presumed medical condition.”

The complainants said that Camarillo — in June of 2022 — allegedly failed to take action over the alleged irregularities in the Office of the Municipal Treasure which include the alleged tampering of receipts by Anelle Gacutan, the municipal treasurer of Santa Maria.

In line with the discovery, the mayor issued Executive Order 16 series of 2022 dated 8 July 2022, creating a fact-finding body to determine the veracity of the allegations against Gacutan.

The Sangguniang Bayan compelled the mayor to impose preventive suspension upon Gacutan as a necessary measure of precaution so that she may be removed from the scene of her alleged infraction.

However, the complainants said that the mayor allegedly disregarded the resolution and allowed Gacutan to continue exercising the powers of a municipal treasurer.

On 1 August 2022, the fact-finding body released their official report indicating that Gacutan confessed to her wrongdoings.