Registrar to press case vs mayor

By Jun Guiang

LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte – "The case is not yet over," said lawyer Ferdinand Ignacio referring to the case of his client, Rosalinda Jose, municipal civil registrar, who was sacked and assigned to the public cemetery by Mayor Augustus Salazar of Piddig, Ilocos Norte.

Ignacio, former president of the Ilocos Norte-Laoag City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, reacted to a recent decision of the sangguniang panglalawigan granting a motion to dismiss an administrative case filed by Jose against Salazar.

Records show that Jose charged the mayor with grave abuse of authority when he relieved her as municipal civil registrar of Piddig and designated her as overseer of the town’s public cemetery.

Ignacio told newsmen that the case is not yet over, saying that he will file a motion for reconsideration of the decision within 15 days.

Ignacio said that some two weeks ago, Jose and her co-complainants also filed with the Office of the Ombudsman criminal cases against Salazar.

Meanwhile, Ilocos Norte Vice Gov. Windell Chua, presiding officer of the provincial board, aired his side on the board’s decision.

Chua broke the tie of 5-5 votes cast by the SP members through secret balloting on the mayor’s motion to dismiss the case. Two SP members inhibited themselves from voting.

Chua said he approved Salazar’s motion because the mayor had already reinstated the complaint to her post. She was not humiliated, as she did never report to the municipal cemetery to render duties, he said.

But SP Member Kristian Ablan, son of Rep. Roque Ablan Jr. (1st district, Ilocos Norte), said he wants his colleagues to further hear the case because the damage has been done to the complainants.