Ombudsman fines Lim in road closure case
GUILTY OF SIMPLE MISCONDUCT
THE Office of the Ombudsman, in a decision dated 31 January 2025, a copy of which was obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday, fined former Dagupan City Mayor Marc Brian Lim for simple misconduct due to a complaint filed by a private citizen over the closure of Galvan and Zamora Streets for a street bazaar without an ordinance passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP).
Lim, was ordered to pay a fine equivalent to six months of his salary as mayor.
The complaint against Lim and his three co-respondents – Christopher Erfe-Mejia, then chief of the Public Order and Safety Office; Aguedo Sta. Maria, then Market Supervisor IV; and Romelita Alcantara, then City Treasurer, was filed by one Marlon Aquino Velasco.
The complaints filed against Erfe-Mejia, Sta. Maria and Alcantara were dismissed by the Ombudsman for lack of merit.
All respondents were charged with (1) Grave Misconduct and (2) Conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, but Lim was found guilty of only simple misconduct.
The complaint of Velasco claimed that Lim started closing Galvan and Zamora streets in 2020 until the filing of the complaint in 2022 for the purposes of accommodating his baratillo or street bazaar without a council-approved ordinance.
In his counter-affidavit, Lim denied all allegations against him and the other respondents, arguing that the images attached to the complaint were unauthenticated and failed to substantiate the material allegations against him.
Lim defended that road rehabilitation programs necessitated the temporary closure.
After evaluating the case based on reasonable evidence submitted, the Ombudsman said that there is no showing that Lim acted with a corrupt motive, nor had an intent to violate the law.
Nevertheless, the Ombudsman found substantial evidence against Lim for simple misconduct.
The five-page decision was promulgated by Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Ma. Celina Noreen D. Reyes, and approved by Ombudsman Samuel Martires. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
