Iniutos ng Office of the Ombudsman na sibakin sa puwesto si Cebu Representative Gwendolyn Garcia dahil sa umano'y "grave misconduct" kaugnay ng kontrobersiyal na Balili project sa Cebu noong siya pa ang nakaupong gobernador ng lalawigan.

Sa desisyon ng Ombudsman, inatasan ang liderato ni Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez na ipatupad ang kautusan sa pagsibak kay Garcia. Kasama sa parusa sa kongresista ang "perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of eligibility and forfeiture of retirement benefits."

Sa desisyon ng Ombudsman, nakasaad na wala umanong awtorisasyon si Garcia mula Sanguniang Panlalawigan (SP) nang pasukin nito ang kasunduan sa ABF Construction para sa naturang proyekto na tirahan at seaport project.

“While this Office finds merit on her assertion that the P50-million allotment for the airport/seaport and other economic enterprise site development program (a capital outlay expenditure that was carried over to the 2012 Annual Budget of the province), was a valid source of appropriation for the Balili project, such appropriation did not validly confer authority to respondent Garcia to enter into a contract with ABF Construction for the Balili project," nakasaad sa desisyon na may petsang January 15, 2018.

"She failed to point out the specific provision in the appropriation ordinance which supposedly authorized her to enter into the contract,” dagdag sa resolusyon.

Ang reklamong graft at malversation case laban kay Garcia ay kaugnay sa pagbili niya ng 24.92-hectare Balili property sa Tiga-an, Naga Cebu noong 2008. Pero natuklasan kinalaunan sa land survey na ginawa ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) na 19.67 hektarya ng naturang ari-arian ay nakalubog sa tubig.

Sabi ng Ombudsman, nilabag ni Garcia ang Sections 46 and 47, Chapter 8, Subtitle B, Title I, Book V ng Administrative Code of 1987 at Section 86 ng Government Auditing Code of the Philippines na nagsasaad na,  "which proscribe entering into a contract unless a certification of appropriation and fund availability for the expenditure is issued. It is undisputed that the [certification of available funds] was issued only after the [second] contract was entered into by respondent Garcia.”
Questionable timing

Samantala, kinuwestiyon ni Garcia ang timing ng naturang kautusan ng Ombudsman.

"Without touching on the merits of the case, the timing is rather suspect," sabi ng kongresista nang makapanayam ng mga mamamahayag. "It does seem as though the Ombudsman has singled me out on an act that was done when I was still governor several years ago."

"You'd rather wonder whether this was purposely done precisely because as you saw, I am very active in this impeachment hearing against Chief Justice [Maria Lourdes] Sereno," dagdag niya.

Sakabila nito, ipapaubaya raw niya sa liderato ng Kamara kung ipatutupad ang naturang kautusan ng Ombudsman.

"Be that as it may, I leave it to the leadership, to Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, on the House leadership as regards that dismissal order by the Ombudsman," sabi ng mambabatas.

Sinabi naman ni Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, na tatalakayin nila ang kautusan ng Ombudsman dahil mayroon umanong sariling patakaran ang Kamara.

"Any order coming from court or any administrative body we have to first determine if valid is it relevant to our rules and everything so. Ire-refer namin yan sa plenary," aniya. -- FRJ, GMA News