CRIMINAL and administrative complaints were filed against Dagupan City Administrator Vladimir Mata for alleged oppression, discourtesy and violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The complaints were filed by suspended City Social Welfare Officer Elsa Santillian who is currently facing charges of dishonesty, grave misconduct and serious neglect in the performance of duty before a five-man City Investigative Committee created by Mayor Benjamin Lim and chaired by Mata.

The criminal complaint against Mata was filed on November 3, 2010 before the office of City Prosecutor Pelagio Palma of Dagupan City while the administrative complaint was filed before the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in San Fernando City, La Union on October 22, 2010.

Santillan, in her criminal complaint, insinuated that the case initiated against her is 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 reporter Jet Arcellana of television network GMA 7, 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 happened 30 minutes after Mata visited her office and its bodega.

“I feel that it was upon his (Mata’s) instruction that the ‘raid’ was conducted in order to humiliate me in public because Jet Arcillana of GMA 7 was looking at her cell phone during the raid every now and then . . .” Santillan stated.

Santillan and her lawyer Teodora Cerdan lament that the investigation on her case led by Mata is biased and flawed.

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.

She also complained that the committee was not only conducting a “reverse trial” compelling her to present evidence and witnesses to prove her innocence before any evidence could be presented to justify the charge against her, but also repeatedly denied her requests for copies of the transcripts of the proceedings.—LM

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