Ombudsman orders removal from office four Quezon City officials

The Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday ordered the dismissal from service of four officials of the Quezon City government and a fire official for their alleged negligence resulting in the death of 74 born-again Christians and injuring 19 others during a fire in a hotel in the city in 2001. Ordered dismissed were Engr. Alfredo Macapugay, former City Engineer; Rafael Galvez, former chief of the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO); Romualdo Santos, former building official; Gerardo Villasenor, electrical inspector and former QC Fire Marshal Senior Supt. Manuel Baduria. Earlier, Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., ordered the relief of the four city hall officials after investigation results showed that the Manor Hotel, which was gutted by fire on August 18, 2001, had been operating without permit. Since the incident, four city hall officials have been in a floating status. The order of the ombudsman came after it junked the motion for reconsideration filed by the respondents asking to reverse the order of former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo of dismissing them from the service. The Ombudsman said the respondents have been found guilty of charges of gross negligence prejudicial to the best interest of the service. It was confirmed that the hotel had been operating without permit from the BPLO and had no annual electrical inspection. Investigations sowed that the 74 victims died of asphyxiation or suffocation after they failing to come out of the hotel due to the lack of fire exits. Most of the victims were members of a born-again Christian group who participated in a prayer rally at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, QC. –GMANews.TV