THE OMBUDSMAN MAY have dismissed the criminal liability of a former municipal mayor supposedly behind the burning of a town hall — but that does not absolve him from property accountability.
In an en banc resolution, the Commission on Audit (COA) stood firm on holding former San Antonio, Nueva Ecija Mayor Arvin Salonga liable for property loss in the fire that gutted down the municipal hall in 2013.
COA said there is no justifiable reason to relieve Salonga from paying P21.99 million corresponding to the depreciated value of the municipal building that was burned days before he was supposed to step down.
The commission stood pat on its earlier pronouncement that the former mayor was guilty of negligence for belatedly filing his Motion for Relief on July 21, 2016, more than three years since the fire that destroyed the town hall a little past midnight of June 8, 2013.
According to the COA, there was no justifiable reason for the three-year delay since the destruction of the building took place 22 days before Salonga’s term as mayor ended. He only took action when he was re-elected to the post in 2016.
Likewise, Salonga was found at fault for failure to secure insurance coverage for the town hall in violation of Republic Act 656, the law that created the Property Insurance Fund under the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
The Bureau of Fire Protection filed a criminal complaint for arson against Salonga before the Office of the Ombudsman but this was dismissed for lack of evidence.
However, the COA said it took consideration of other events and circumstances based on available records to come up with its ruling.
“Weeks prior to the fire incident, all closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the municipality were removed. A prior ambush incident involving COA auditor took place after the team informed Mayor Salonga that an audit will be conducted on the transaction of the municipality. The above circumstances, if taken together, show that the fire was not accidental,” the Commission noted.
Other than the BFP finding of arson, security personnel assigned to the building reported hearing noise of something being pushed inside the structure before the fire.
“There was no explanation as to why the CCTV cameras were removed. This Commission also noted the indifference of Mayor Salonga over the situation, he had not shown any interest nor taken any action after the conflagration,” COA said.
The ruling was signed by COA chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba and Commissioner Douglas Mallillin. The third man in the three-member state auditor — Commissioner Mario Lipana — remains “on leave.”
