Bacolod Mayor, Monico Puentevella suspended for one month.
Monico Puentevella, the out going Mayor of Bacolod City, was suspended for one month and one day by the Office of the Ombudsman nine days before the end of his term in office. The suspension was due to the Mayors’s refusal to implement the suspension of the two city officials during Christmas ordered by the Ombudsman.
Monico has lost the previous election running for the same post. He was defeated by the Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia the recently concluded 2016 elections.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said that she had suspended the out-going Mayor Monico for “simple misconduct” after the delay of the suspension of two city building officials ordered by the office.
The City Mayor reportedly received order on December 9, 2015 from the Ombudsman, but instead of immediately implementing the suspension, the mayor wrote back saying to her “in the spirit of Christmas, the effectivity of the order is set (to) January 1, 2015.”
His reply did not sit well the Jury, who insisted that her decisions were “immediately effective and executory.”
She said the Ombudsman Act of 1989 did not “authorize a head of office or agency to schedule a different date for the effectivity of the decision.”
The Ombudsman said that the order of suspension was released last July 2014 of Bacolod City Building Officer Isidro Sun Jr. and Building Inspector Jose Maria Makilan in the ground of “unethical conduct.” This was supposed to be implemented effective and executory.
In a text message, Monico said, “If I get suspended for one month to give another human being, a mere employee, 15 days furlough to celebrate Christmas with his family, so be it. (It) doesn’t bother me. I can sleep well”.