Ombudsman affirms nepotism charges vs Isabela mayor

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela — The Sandiganbayan is set to arraign Santiago City Mayor Amelita Navarro over allegations that she violated Philippine civil service laws when she appointed her husband to a government position, after the office of the Ombudsman recently affirmed charges of nepotism against the local executive. Charges for violating provisions of Presidential Decree 918 or the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973 were initially filed separately by former city vice mayor Armando Tan before the Ombudsman, and by Lydia Makiling, a former village councilor of the city’s Dubinan East village, who filed the case directly with the Office of the President. Both charges were filed in 2005. The cases stemmed from allegations that Navarro unlawfully appointed her husband, Dr. Jose Navarro, as chair of the board of the Santiago Water District which, if proven, is a violation of the law against nepotism. In one of her motions, Navarro dismissed the charges as “forum shopping" and maintained that the appointment of her husband as an officer of the city’s water board was done in “good faith". In her 13-page manifestation, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, through assistant special prosecutor Leni Bajo-Padaca, said that being the city mayor of Santiago and as an appointing authority, Navarro took advantage of her position in appointing her husband to a government-owned and -controlled corporation. Such act, the manifestation added, is prohibited under Executive Order (EO) 292, otherwise known as the Revised Administrative Code of 1987. EO 292 prohibits appointing authorities from appointing relatives by consanguinity or affinity within the third degree to the civil service or government-owned agencies, or instrumentalities including government owned or controlled corporations. Jesus Micael, the Ombudsman’s Deputy Special Prosecutor for Luzon, confirmed the case against the city mayor as a result of the Ombudsman’s denial of her motion for reconsideration. Navarro’s arraignment before the Sandiganbayan has been set for September 23.—JMA/JV, GMANews.TV