OMBUDSMAN DISMISSES RAPS VS MABALACAT CITY MAYOR, VICE MAYOR, SP MEMBERS

BY KEVIN GALANG

MABALACAT, Pampanga – The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the charges filed against Mabalacat City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo, Vice Mayor Gerald Guttrie  Aquino and 12 other members of the Sangguniang  Panglungsod.

In a ruling, the Ombudsman said complainant  Marcos T. Castro Jr., a councilor in Mabalacat City, failed to establish substantial evidence against the respondents.

The rdecision was signed by Graft  Investigation and Prosecution officer III Esther Velasco-Legaspi.

Earlier, Castro filed charges for violation of Section 3e and g of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and violation of Sec 4a and 5e of Republic Act 6713  or An Act Establishing a Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and employees against Garbo, Aquino and 12 SP members  in relation to the city’s ₱2.0789 billion loan, which the respondents claim was politically-motivated .

Garbo thanked the Ombudsman for the dismissal of the cases filed against him by his political rival and appealed to his critics to move forward.

“Let’s move forward and maintain our attention to serving our kababayans,” the Mabalacat mayor said.

According to Garbo,  he was not surprised by the Ombudsman’s decision  as he and the Mabalaquenians have always known the truth.

“Nais kong ipahayag ang aking taus-pusong pasasalamat sa Diyos at sa inyong patuloy na suporta.  Ang inyong pagtitiwala ay nagsilbing lakas sa akin habang ako’y humaharap sa mga hamon ng pamamahala,” Garbo said.

“Bagamat ako’y natutuwa sa desisyong ibasura ang walang saysay na alegasyon, hindi na po ako nagulat dito. Alam natin ang ating layunin at ang mga prinsipyo na ating pinapahalagahan. Ang mga Mabalaquenian ay may malinaw na pag-iisip at matibay na pananampalataya sa Diyos. Hinding-hindi tayo magiging biktima ng mga paninira ng iilang may pagnanais na mamuno,” he added.

The Mabalacat mayor reiterated  his commitment to continuing projects for the benefit of his constituents and staying focused on addressing the needs of the Mabalaquenians.