MANILA — The registrar of deeds of Bacolod City, Negros Occidental was dismissed from the service for issuing a land title to a person without complying with the requirements of the state internal revenue agency five years ago.
The Office of the Ombudsman found Romulo Gonzaga guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the service for a series of official acts in May 2013.
The anti-graft body also found probable cause to sue Gonzaga before the Bacolod City Regional Trial Court for graft charge.
In the complaint, the Region 12 office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) claimed that Gonzaga illegally issued a Transfer of Certificate of Title in favor of a certain Florentino Perez without the required Certificate Authorizing Registration (CAR) and Tax Clearance Certificate.
The BIR alleged that the anomalous transaction resulted in an aggregate tax deficiency of PHP86,231.33 to the prejudice of the government.
In his defense, Gonzaga argued good faith, claiming that he could not be faulted for not meticulously scrutinizing all documents presented to him for action because of his heavy workload.
In a decision dated May 29, 2018, signed by Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente, the Ombudsman said “respondent flagrantly violated pertinent rules and regulations governing land titling when he authorized the transfer of the property from [Segundina] Hulguin to Perez without the required CAR. Respondent acquiesced to their tax evasion, to the prejudice of the government.”
Clemente also ordered the Land Registration Authority Administrator to implement the dismissal order.
The LRA is an attached agency of the Department of Justice. (PNA)
