The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed from their posts Mayor Ma. Jofel Soldevilla and Vice Mayor Michael Omar Lacson of Zarraga, Iloilo in connection with an allegedly anomalous land purchase deal.
State prosecutors said there was sufficient proof that Soldevilla and Lacson conspired and used their positions to advance their personal interest when they entered into a contract for the purchase of an P11-million property in 2023.
Aside from dismissal, Soldevilla and Lacson were disqualified from holding public office and their retirement benefits were forfeited.
The ombudsman also canceled the respondents’ civil service eligibility.
In a separate resolution dated July 13, the ombudsman found probable cause to indict Soldevilla and Lacson for violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Meanwhile, Zarraga Councilor Jose Jeffren Millan along with municipal accountant Era Lerdon, budget officer Glezil Lozañes and treasurer Leonora Pauya as well as former councilors Rolando Papa, Nelida Octaviano and Mark Andrian Sulolayon were suspended for six months for simple misconduct.
The ombudsman said the penalty of those who are no longer in office would be converted into a fine equivalent to their salaries for six months.
The investigation stemmed from a complaint filed last year by former councilor Andre Bon Sumagaysay, who alleged that a resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan authorizing Soldevilla to enter into a contract for the purchase of a 6,585-square-meter property was railroaded and lacked the required number of signatures.
The property, owned by Lacson’s late father, was intended for the local shelter plan of the municipal government.
The ombudsman said there was conflict of interest when Lacson, councilor and chairman of the committee on housing and land at the time, sponsored a resolution supporting the land purchase deal.