Ombudsman absolves Bucloc, Abra ex-mayor

BAGUIO CITY — In a document just made available these last days of October, it was revealed that the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed two charges against the former mayor of Bucloc, Abra and two other officials.

In a joint resolution, the Ombudsman resolved the complaint filed by the Commission on Audit (CoA) of Failure of Accountable Officer to Render Accounts and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of Service, Grave Misconduct and Gross Neglect of Duty against former Bucloc Municipal Mayor Gybel Bayongan Cardenas, Municipal Accountant Aris Blancaflor Balsita and Mariano de Guzman Bragas III. 

Cardenas was the mayor of Bucloc from 2019 to 2022, Balsita was then the Acting Municipal Treasurer and Bragas III was then Municipal Accountant-designate. The complaint was based from the Sworn Narrative Report of CoA on April 2022 and the evaluation report of the agency on September 2022.

The narrative and report pertain to the financial statements, monthly check disbursement journals and general journals among others covering years 2019-2020. The CoA alleged that the respondents did not comply to the obligations of submitting necessary justifications on the municipality’s operational expenditures. The CoA also charged Cardenas as liable for failure of ensuring that her subordinates to comply with the rules, laws and regulations.

The officials then filed their respective motions and position papers. The Ruling of the Ombudsman therefore found no probable cause to indict respondents for failure of Accountable Officer to Render Accounts, defined and penalized under Article 218 of the Revised Penal Code. The Office also found no substantial evidence that Cardenas committed Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of Service, Grave Misconduct and Gross Neglect of Duty.

The two other respondents were also absolved from the same case.