SAN FERNANDO CITY, La
Union — Mayor Hermenigildo Gualberto of this city has been suspended for six
months for grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and grave abuse of
authority.
The suspension
order, which was issued by the Office of the Ombudsman on April 15, was served
by personnel of the Department of the Interior and Local Government on Monday.
Gualberto’s
case stemmed from alleged anomalies in the rehabilitation of the city plaza
worth P90 million.
Graft probers
said the mayor entered into a contract with a private contractor and allowed
the disbursement of funds without authority from the city council.
“(It) shows
respondent’s failure to perform his duties in a regular manner and his willful
disregard of the law, rules and regulations... The evidence of respondent’s
guilt is strong,” the ombudsman resolution read.
Forty-seven
of the 59 barangay captains here filed the complaint on Jan. 28.
In a post on
Facebook, Gualberto said he was “never given the opportunity to examine or
oppose” the complaint.
“It also came
with undue haste and at a suspicious time, two weeks shy of the elections... I
cannot shake off the feeling that this malicious persecution was designed to
humiliate me,” he said.
Gualberto
said he would appeal the ombudsman ruling.
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