‘Justice served’
CATBALOGAN CITY –
Justice served!
This was the over all statement of the city officials exonerated by the Ombudsman of the plunder case filed against them by a city hall employee Bernard Jake Ramos over alleged ‘overpriced’ lot.
The complaint filed by Ramos resulted to the 6-month suspension of former city mayor now councilor Stephany Uy Tan, former Vice Mayor Art Sherwin Gabon, many SP members and department heads.
But last October 7, 2021, the Ombudsman released its verdict ruling the innocence of all respondents giving them only a monetary fine of three months’ salary.
Tan, and the rest of the respondents, were all feel liberated and overjoyed by the acquittal. (See separate story in this page about the dismissal). “Duro an amon kalipay nga napamatud-an na waray kami sayop.
Nga tama la an amon binuhatan kay yana nagagamitan na ito nga lot nga pinalit han syudad. Ha yana damo nga mga establishments han gobyerno an aada hito na lote, labot la han aton mga biktima han landslide hadto,” Tan said.
Tan just smiled when asked if the critics trying to pin them down have failed. Most of the acquitted city officials preferred to stay in peace when asked if they want to file counter-charges against those persons responsible for their 6-months suspension.
But not for Samar Board Member Bembot Bermejo who was determined to do legal action against those persons that made them suffer from humiliation, trauma, uneasiness, and unproductive.
Bermejo was the city councilor and president of PCL during that time when the plunder case was filed against them during the stint of Tan, et al. “ D i r e la k ami an n a g – a n t o s kundi an bugos nga Catbaloganons, kay ha sakob han unom ka bulan waray m a n k a m i nahimo nga k a u p a y a n , resolusyon, ug mga ordinansa nga magbebenipis y o unta han kad – a m – a n k ay gin-suspend m a n k a m i kaparte hine n g a k a s o ,” B e r m e j o stressed.
“ Y a n a kay dismissed naman ine, ngan napatunayan nga waray kami sayop, mayda ako hihimuon,” Bermejo said without g iv ing any hints to the media what he meant to do.
At press t i m e , t h e S W E t r i e d to seek comments from the com – plainant Ramos at the city hall, but to no avail.
