Mata denies abuse of authority
NOT true.
City Administrator Vladimir Mata flatly denied the accusations hurled against him by City Social Welfare Officer Elsa Santillan and said he will respond to the charges once he receives a copy of the complaints filed before the City Prosecutor’s Office in Dagupan and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) office in La Union.
“In due course we will give our answer if it needs to be answered. If not then I will just leave it that way,” Mata said.
Santillan, in her criminal complaint, said the case initiated against her was politically-motivated as her husband, a former barangay chairman of Barangay Lomboy, campaigned for then Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. who lost against Lim in the last May10 election.
In her separate complaint before the CSC, Santillian stated that Mata unjustly shamed her by instructing some personnel of the City Information Office, accompanied by a GMA7 TV reporter, to intrude into and ransack her office in the morning of July 30, 2010 to search for alleged expired goods intended for relief operations.
This incident allegedly happened just 30 minutes after Mata visited her office and its bodega.
INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE
Santillan is facing charges of dishonesty, grave misconduct and serious neglect in the performance of duty before the City Investigative Committee created by Mayor Benjamin Lim and chaired by Mata.
Santillan earlier filed a motion for the inhibition of Mata during the pre-hearing of the case on September 23, 2010, alleging that Mata “procured and pressured” the complainants against her. This was denied by the committee and the motion for reconsideration was likewise junked.
Mata pointed out that “The committee is a collegial body, at kahit mag-inhibit ako kung ang desisyon ng body ay ganito, wala akong magagawa. So, hindi niya (Santillan) puedeng sabihin na abuse of authority dahil hindi ako ang nagdedesisyon kundi ang boung investigating committee na nabuo sa pamamagitan ng isang executive order na pinirmahan ni Mayor.”
Mata also clarified that the committee’s task is that of a fact- finding committee which seeks to unearth the truth and submit its assessment of the allegations against Santillan.
“The preventive suspension slapped on Santillan is not a penalty. The suspension is for her not to unduly influence the witnesses and the complainants inside her office,” Mata said.
Mata also noted that the witnesses themselves admit that Santillan made them sign a second affidavit recanting their statements on their first affidavit.
“Noong pinatawag namin sila nagtataka sila kasi hindi yun ang kanilang sinabi doon sa una at ng tinanong sila ng committee sinabi nila na ang naghanda ng mga affidavits ay si Santillan at ang kanyang abogado at saka pinapirmahan sa kanila.” Mata said.
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