Former Mt. Province poll exec faces 'dishonesty' raps

BONTOC, Mountain Province — The former Commission on Elections provincial  supervisor here was accused before the poll body by an anti-graft and corruption advocate for alleged dishonesty, absence without leave and grave misconduct.

In his one-paged sworn affidavit-complaint, Salvador Liked of Bauko town claimed former election supervisor Elenita Julia Tabangin-Capuyan committed the offenses from January 16 to June 30 this year.

Liked said Capuyan was not actually reporting to the Mountain Province election office from January 16 to March 16.

Liked said he regularly went to the police office in this capital town to monitor and follow up poll-related issues.

The complainant claimed to have witnesses who choose to withhold their identities and other pieces of evidence.

He said from March 17 to June 30, Capuyan sporadically reported for the poll office and would instead regularly drop in at her office in Baguio City even when another election supervisor was assigned there.

Liked said Capuyan and her colleagues before Comelec-Manila also face another complaint in connection with her official capacity as member of the Provincial board of Canvassers in Mountain Province on those three occasions.

He said that the respondent did not file a leave and even collected her salary and charged for overtime pay for the three days she did not show up at the local election office—acts that may constitute dishonesty and grave misconduct.

Liked urged the Comelec to conduct an investigation into Capuyan to prevent her from repeating the same offenses in the future.

On Sept. 9, 22 and Oct. 12, Capuyan attended the hearing and submitted her counter-affidavit and notarized comment.

This, as Tabangin-Capuyan said Liked's complaint was "pure harassment" even as she has not received a copy of the complaint against her.