By Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City–The Department of the Interior and Local Government, through its Northern Samar Provincial Director Geraldine Maquelabit, on Monday (April 29) reinstated to his office, Jose Arturo “Joey Suan, as the mayor of Allen town in Northern Samar.
This was in line with the Ombudsman decision dismissing the dismissing the charges of abuse of authority and gross negligence filed against Suan when he allowed the construction of a road without proper notice from the private lot owner Maricon Ablig.
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The Ombudsman cleared Suan from the administrative charges due to insufficient evidence, thus, the order was issued for the DILG to implement the reinstatement of the mayor to his rightful office as the local chief executive or mayor of Allen town.
Suan did not commit abuse of authority, partiality, bad faith and gross negligence, during the road construction, declared the Ombudsman order.
Suan, who is in his second term, was placed under a 6-month preventive suspension by the DILG-Northern Samar on January 12, following the Ombudsman-Visayas order imposing the suspension without pay due to grave abuse of authority and oppression, as alleged by private complainant Ablig.
Ablig elevate her case to the Ombudsman against Suan and other LGU officials, claiming that they illegally constructed a road on her property without her prior approval, without following expropriation proceedings and no just compensation, as mandated by law.
At the time, the Cebu City-based Ombudsman ruled that Suan violated section 3 of the Anti-¬Graft and Corrupt Practices law for “acting with manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence” when he authorized the construction of the road even without asking the permission of Ablig.
However, due to lack of evidence to support the allegations, the Ombudsman itself overturned its decision, dismissing all the charges against Suan, and ordering his official reinstatement into office, carried out by the DILG-Northern Samar.
Suan is now back as the duly mandated mayor of Allen town, Northern Samar. —-Miriam G. Desacada