ILOILO CITY — A total of 17 public officials in the province of Aklan are facing criminal and administrative charges for their role in the environmental crisis on Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.
Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) filed charges against some provincial, municipal and village officials before the Office of the Ombudsman Wednesday.
The respondents are Governor Florencio Miraflores of Aklan and Valentin Talabero (appointive), head of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO).
Municipal officials are incumbent Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling; Vice Mayor Abram Sualog; and board members Natalie Paderes, Jupiter Aelfred Gallenero, Frolibar Bautista, Lloyd Maming, Dalidig Sumndad, Maylynn Aguirre-Graf, Danilo Delos Santos, and Dante Pagsuguiron.
Also included are municipal licensing officer Jen Salsona (appointive) and the municipal ENRO Edgardo Sancho (appointive).
At the barangay level, re-elected chief Hector Casidsid of Yapak; outgoing chief Chona Gabay of Manoc-manoc; and outgoing chief Lilibeth Sacapaño of Balabag.
The administrative charge filed against the respondents is due to their alleged violation of the Local Government Code and the criminal charge is the violation of the Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corruption Practices Act.
Meantime, DILG 6 (Western Visayas) Regional Director Anthony Nuyda said that they are yet to receive the document about the charges filed against the public officials, adding that the issue is still “premature” because they still have to wait for the decision of the Ombudsman.
In a phone interview around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Rowen Aguirre, municipal executive assistant for Boracay affairs, said Cawaling has yet to receive the official document for the charges.
Aguirre reiterated the previous pronouncement of Cawaling that the mayor is willing to face the charges that will be filed against him.
Aguirre said they are expecting a vacuum if the preventive suspension will be implemented against the local officials but he said that maybe President Rodrigo Duterte may appoint a new officer-in-charge for the meantime.
“Although on July 1, there will be new sets (of village chiefs) at least for two barangays except for one barangay that have incumbent (village chief).For (the villages of) Balabag and Manoc-manoc, they have new village chiefs so it won’t really matter,” he said.
Meantime, Aguirre committed to continue to support the move of the current administration to clean Boracay.
A 12-person Boracay investigating team chaired by Densing was created to conduct a probe against local officials who might be involved in the environmental crisis on the island.
The team has particularly looked into the violations on the issuance of business permits, fire safety permits, and the building code, among others.
The six months closure and rehabilitation of the island started April 26. ( Cindy Ferrer with reports from Perfecto Raymundo Jr./PNA)
