Dismissed Lanao Sur mayor lashed out media, Ombudsman over controversial report

By. Jong Cadion

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur (Oct. 7, 2016) - I was dismayed and humiliated due to the irresponsible news story by some media that my eligibility and perpetual disqualification from holding office and forfeiture of my retirement benefits is cancelled”, Mayor Dra Edna Ogka Benito told reporters.

Mayor Benito after reading the report,  she was able to talk to ABS-CBN’s  Carolyn Bonquin who writes the report and said she gets the details from the Ombudsman but Benito said there were no statements of such in order.

“There were no words from the Ombudsman’s order that says “cancellation of eligibility, perpetual disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of benefits. The only statements were “accessories penalties”.

She said she might sue who are behind this character assassination for issuing baseless and irresponsible reports because of the mental anguish brought by such report.

She also lashed out the unfair moved/practiced  of the Ombudsman for its immediate implementation without reading or just disregard her position paper and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) also implemented the Ombudsman order which she immediately stepped down as law abiding citizen. “I did not mind to seek the rule of condonation of Aguinaldo doctrine which says that if the guilty public officials be elected and won, those administrative cases will be forgotten and I was elected and was given the mandate by my electorate constituents’, Beneito said.

Ogka added that the irresponsible report made a big effect in her being which according to her she cannot afford to give up her profession as doctor in exchange for the two (2) months salary of the complainant Sarahlyn Masbod, Municipal budget officer. “I did not acquire this profession from my political practices”, Benito said.

She as of this writing, her case is now with the court of appeals pending for “petition for review” and the incumbent mayor is now the vice mayor and it happened that Javer Benito is her son.

The controversial news report stemmed after the annulment proclamation of former Mayor Hadji Amer Sampiano last December 2014 and as second vote she assumed as the mayor of Balabagan town in the nearby Province of Lanao del Sur.

“I required all the employees to submit their original appointment and I required her to produce a copy of her appointment as municipal budget officer, which she did not show credible proof as such appointment since the copy was not duly authenticated or certified by competent authority, Benito disclosed.

She said the complainant instead has filed vacation leave and sick leave through mails at the post office until Benito did not act to her sick leave because she was already absence without leave (AWOL) and she was dropped from the roll and was affirmed through a memorandum by the Sagguniang Bayan through a resolution number No.41.

“My only hope is for the court of appeals to review my case and also urge the media to be responsible for the news story because we have our dignity and deserve respect because of our credibility which we reap for years and will only destroy by irresponsible and baseless report, here I was a victim of character assassination”, Ogka said.

Benito is seeking justice for this and said “it will kill me and finish my political career because of alleged penalty accessories which was not specified in the Ombudsman decision and that I can no longer run even in the position of barangay kagawad”.

“I need justice and I am planning to sue those people who are behind this political harassment. The Ombudsman’s order states “Wherefore, ON THE FOREGOING, the Office finds respondent EDNA V. OGKA–BENITO, Municipal Mayor of Balabagan, Lanao del Sur, Guilty of the administrative offense  of Grave Misconduct and is meted with penalty of  DISMISSAL from “Service with all its accessory penalties”.