A team led by the Provincial Dir. Abraham Pascua of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Nueva Ecija and lawyer Myron Cunanan, regional legal officer, served on Wednesday the dismissal order approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales against the mayor based on a joint resolution dated June 10, 2013 and Sept. 10, 2014.
Vice Mayor Ruben Huerta was installed as new mayor and first municipal Councilor Vincent Uera, a relative of the ousted official, as new vice mayor.
Pascua said Uera was not around when they served the order. They posted the order on the town hall’s door instead.
In the resolution approved by Morales Feb. 6, 2015, the Ombudsman slapped Uera with the “penalty of fine equivalent to one year (of salary) with the accessory penalty of dismissal from service with cancellation of eligibility.”
The Ombudsman also ruled for the forfeiture of his retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification for re-employment in the government service.
The case stemmed from the complaint filed by Antonio Capia and 43 other municipal employees in March 2005 after Uera allegedly unjustly suspended and terminated their services.
In an order dated Oct. 20, 2014, Morales approved the recommendation of graft investigator Joan Lou Gamboa to deny Uera’s appeal of a ruling that found him guilty of two counts of grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority and oppression but the mayor again moved for further review thus stalled his dismissal last year.
In their complaint, the employees said that on Jan. 3, 2005, they were prohibited from entering the town hall by Uera’s alleged “goons.” Their daily time records and personal belongings, the complainants alleged, were confiscated.
The employees said they had to go to the sangguniang bayan building instead where Uera’s rival, Romeo Borja Sr., who was proclaimed winner in an election protest in connection with the 2004 polls, was holding office.
