Former Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. Faces Graft Charges Over Fire Incident
The former Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante Jr. faces graft charges for issuing a business permit to garments store, which caused a disastrous fire.
On Thursday (November 02, 2017), the Ombudsman media bureau said that Butuan Mayor Amante, former licensing officer Paul Cabrera and acting city fire marshal Alric Gomez could be indicted for allegedly violating Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Amante and Cabrera were administratively liable and a lifetime ban from public office after they were found guilty of gross neglect of duty. The accused were also required to pay a fine of equivalent to one year salary.
The ex-Butuan City Mayor was responsible for a tragedy on a garments store, which took the lives of at least 17 employees in 2012 due to a fatal fire. The store turned not to have a fire safety and inspection certificate (FSIC).
The incident happened last May 09, 2012 at the Novo Jeans and Shirts Enterprises along Montilla Boulevard. The establishment was consisting of most female stay-in workers residing on the top floor of the building.
February 15, 2012, three months before the fatal fire, the investigation shows that the Butuan Mayor issued a business permit to Novo upon the recommendation of Cabrera although it doesn’t have a fire safety certificate.
The Ombudsman faulted Gomez for failing to the Butuan City Mayor of Novo’s noncompliance of fire safety requirement and cancellation of the business permit.
The Section 5(g) of the Fire Code of the Philippines requires a business establishment inspection for fire safety before requesting for a business permit.
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