THE Office of the Ombudsman in Mindanao (OMB-Min) reported it had the highest case disposition rate among all other ombudsman offices nationwide, with 58 percent in 2016.
Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao lawyer Rodolfo Elman said disposed cases refer to those either filed, dismissed or resulted in the imposition of sanctions against public officers.
Out of the 1,739 cases or workload, the OMB-Min has disposed 1,014 cases, of which 477 are criminal cases and 537 are administrative cases based on its data and accomplishment report in 2016.
The bulk in last year’s cases involved elective officials.
Criminal cases were filed against the 296 city and municipal councilors, 243 city and municipal mayors, 172 barangay chairman, 117 barangay councilors, 84 city and municipal vice-mayors, 24 provincial board members, 17 governors, 13 members of the House of Representatives, and five vice-governors.
Elman said most of the violations committed by the government officials are the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act with 177 cases, followed by falsification with 83 cases, malversation with 59 cases, and perjury with 33 cases.
Administrative cases were filed against 316 city and municipal councilors, 217 city and municipal mayors, 198 barangay chairs, 129 barangay councilors, 82 city and municipal vice-mayor, 19 provincial board members, 16 governors and six vice-governors.
The common administrative offenses committed by those government officials are grave misconduct with 239 cases, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service with 169 cases, and dishonesty with 103 cases, Elman added.
Other violations committed by the officials are gross neglect of duty with 60 cases and grave abused of the authority with 59 cases.
So far, the high-ranking officials dismissed from service are Lingig town in Surigao del Sur Mayor Roberto Luna Jr.; Trento town in Agusan del Sur Mayor Johnmark Billanes, as well as five members of the Municipal Council of Trento; and Balabagan, Lanao del Sur Mayor Edna Ogka-Benito.
Also dismissed is former North Cotabato representative and now Vice Governor Gregorio Ipong for grave misconduct for the irregularities that tainted the disbursement of his 2007 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF); lawyer Macapado Guro, a former National Police Commission (Napolcom) director; and former National Telecommunication Commission (NTC)-Soccsksargen director Ismael Cabural from Koronadal City.
The Ombudsman also ordered last year the suspension of Bukidnon Governor Jose Ma. Zubiri Jr.; Zamboanga del Norte Governor Roberto Uy; Maguindanao Vice Governor Lester Sinsuat; Impasug-ong, Bukidnon Mayor Anthony Uy; Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi Mayor Kuyoh Pajiji; and Kauswagan Lanao del Norte Mayor Rommel Arnado.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio also ordered the filing of charges against four former Mindanao lawmakers last year for funneling their PDAF to various “ghost” projects.
Former Davao Del Sur representative Marc Douglas Cagas IV, former Bukidnon representative Candido Pancrudo Jr. and former Misamis Occidental Representative Marina Clarete were also separately charged with several counts of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, malversation, and malversation through falsification of public documents.
Former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) Governor Nur Misuari was also charged for the anomalous procurement of education materials in 2000 to 2001.
Aside from anomalous procurement, former Surigao del Sur representative Peter Paul Falcon and Mayor Luna, of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) and a private supplier, all from Lingig town in Surigao del Sur, were found to have committed a violation of the anti-graft for having irregularly procured various communication equipment materials.
Elman said a number of local officials were also charged before the Ombudsman with several counts of malversation and failure to liquidate.
He added that the Ombudsman prosecutors have also secured the conviction of the Baganga town mayor of Davao Oriental, along with several officials, for the anti-graft and corrupt practices.
The OMB-Min has also dismissed 91 public officials from service last year, of which 11 are high-ranking and 80 are low-ranking, averaging around 7.5 percent a month.
Among the high-ranking officials (HROs) dismissed from service are three mayors, a vice mayor, five members of the Municipal Council, former regional directors of the Napolcom-Davao and NTC-Soccsksargen, and a deputy regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Davao.
There were also 107 public officers who were suspended, 23 of them were suspended for more than six months, 26 were reprimanded and one imposed with a fine.
Among the HROs suspended from the office are two governors, a vice-governor and several mayors in Mindanao for various offenses ranging from abuse of their authority to irregularities and non-filing of their SALN.
The OMB-Min also filed 129 criminal cases in court, 27 of which were filed in the Sandiganbayan involving HROs, 81 in the Regional Trial Court (RTC) and 21 in Municipal Trial Courts.
Elman attributed the disposition rate of the OMB-Min to the cases filed with the office and zero backlog order of the Ombudsman.
The OMB-Min has evaluated 1,115 cases docketed within three days; 1,532 of the 1,178 complaints evaluated within the five-day period, and 3,402 cases related inquiries acted upon.
