POZORRUBIO, Pangasinan – Mayor Artemio Chan of this town was suspended anew for three months, just two months after he reported back to office from his nine-month suspension.
Vice Mayor Ernesto Go again assumed as acting mayor on August 2 after receiving the directive dated August 1 from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 1 (Ilocos Region) Director James Fadrilan.
Go, in an interview Tuesday, said the latest suspension of Chan is the criminal aspect of one of the two cases filed against him in 2016 for designating co-accused Daniel Sarmiento (Senior Administrative Assistant III) to officiate a civil wedding, and him (Chan) affixing his signature to the marriage contract.
Attached with the letter of Fadrilan was the June 30, 2018 memorandum from DILG Undersecretary Austere A. Panadero regarding the implementation of the amended order dated July 13, 2018 of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 125, Quezon City.
This is relative to criminal case number R-QZN-18-03469-CR entitled” People of the Philippines vs. Artemio Que Chan and Daniel M. Sarmiento, Jr.”
Chan and Sarmiento, Jr. were charged with violation of Section 3(a) of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act before the said RTC branch.
Go said he has nothing to do with the cases filed against Chan.
“My assumption as acting mayor was peaceful, and the operation at the municipal hall is not affected by this recent development,” he said.
On August 2, 2017, the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Chan for grave misconduct and serious dishonestly.
The mayor is facing perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of his civil service eligibility, and forfeiture of retirement benefits.
He was barred from taking civil service examination.
He appealed the case, and the Office of the Ombudsman later downgraded its decision from dismissal from service to six months suspension for the case filed by spouses Ly-Ar Punzalan and Cherily Buyao.
On August 24, 2017, the Office of the Ombudsman meted Chan another three months suspension for “simple dishonesty.”
He served the (total) nine months suspension from August 25, 2017 to May 27, 2018.
A total of five cases were filed against Chan at the Office of the Ombudsman. All of the same nature, he allegedly signed the marriage certificates of couples whose civil weddings he allegedly did not solemnize. (PNA)
