SP junks ‘unexplained wealth’ case vs Santiago town mayor Miranda

By Mario Supnad

SANTIAGO, Ilocos Sur- The case over “unexplained wealth” filed against incumbent Mayor Josefino “Boy” Miranda of this town had been dismissed for lack of merit.

In an interview inside the house of Miranda by this writer, he said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) unanimously dismissed few months ago his case not only for lack of merit but also in the absence of complainant or witnesses.

“Dinismis nga sigida ti SP ta awan met ti agrekreklamo,” (The SP dismissed it immediately for lack of complainant), Miranda said last week.

The unexplained wealth issue against Miranda gained media’s attention after an unknown complainant wrote a letter and filed it before the SP, and had it furnished the Ombudsman, a government agency investigating corrupt public officials, Commission on Audit and Dept. of Interior and Local Government.

The DILG also conducted its own investigation.

Among the assets being questioned by the complainant were the Santiago Cove Hotel in Sabangan Beach and service vehicles among others owned allegedly by the mayor.

“I loaned P20million from a bank for the financing of the hotel while a number of our vehicles are under the names of my children, and not mine,” the mayor said.

Miranda is now on his second third and last term or 18 years (if he completes his last term) as mayor and had been vice mayor for six years, the longest serving top local officials in this town.

“Of course, since from the start, I was optimistic that the case against me would be dismissed due to lack of complainant,” he said.

“It will be a bad precedent for other mayors if they (SP, Ombudsman) would give credence to such unknown, unsubstantiated cases,” Miranda added.

The unidentified complainant failed to show up before SP when the board members summoned him to shed light on the complaints.

The SP members dismissed the case unanimously.

The Ombudsman can initiate investigation even an unsigned and unknown complaint filed before the graft government court.