Ombudsman sacks Occidental Mindoro Mayor over misuse of tobacco tax funds  

 

 

The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of three officials, including former congressman and incumbent San Jose, Occidental Mindoro Mayor Jose Villarosa, in connection with the alleged misuse of the municipality's tobacco trust fund in 2010.

 

A joint resolution recently signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales also found municipal accountant Pablo Alvaro and municipal treasurer Carlito Cajayon guilty of grave misconduct, dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

 

The three officials were also meted with the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from reemployment in the government service, cancellation of eligibility, and forfeiture of retirement benefits.

 

The Ombudsman’s order stemmed from the respondents’ alleged anomalous diversion of a trust fund amounting P2.920 million generated from the municipality’s share in the tobacco excise tax.

 

The Ombudsman investigation revealed that Villarosa authorized the use of the tobacco trust fund to purchase 10 Multicab vehicles, Christmas lights, meals and snacks for newly-elected barangay captains, medicines, gravel and sand, bus and vehicle rentals.

 

The Ombudsman pointed out that under the revised law on tobacco excise tax as provided in Republic Act 8240 or the National Internal Revenue Code, a local government unit’s share in tobacco tax proceeds “should be used solely for cooperative, livelihood and/or agro-industrial projects that enhance the quality of agricultural products, develop alternative farming systems, or enable tobacco farmers to manage and own post-harvest enterprises like cigarette manufacturing and by-product utilization”.

 

 

“No genius is required to discern the disparity between the Legislature’s declared policy and respondents’ actual expenditures…The diversion of funds resulted in the deprivation of farmers who were the intended beneficiaries,” Morales said in the resolution.

 

Morales directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government to implement the dismissal order.

 

In November last year, the Ombudsman, through its Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) had also filed 12 counts of graft and 12 counts of technical malversation against the three respondents also in connection with the alleged misuse of the tobacco trust fund with the Sandiganbayan

 

Just last week, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested Villarosa inside the premises of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro in connection with the graft cases filed against him.

 

Villarosa, however, posted P432,000 bail bonds the following day after his arrest, thus, he was granted provisional liberty by the anti-graft court.

 

In 2006, Villarosa was convicted of murder by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court for allegedly masterminding the December 1997 killings of Michael and Paul Quintos, sons of former lawmaker and Villarosa’s political archival Ricardo V. Quintos, Sr.

 

The QC RTC’s decision was, however, overturned by the Court of Appeals (CA) in March 2008 for “lack of evidence”.

 

The CA’s decision became controversial as Villarosa’s wife, then Occidental Mindoro Rep. Amelita Villarosa, was a known ally of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

 

GMA News Online could not reach Villarosa, Alvaro and Cajayon as of posting time. — APG, GMA News