I'm Giancarlo Enrico S. Pozon, a Wushu instructor, investor and Barrister... That's right, Barrister; I graduated from law school and took the Bar Exams, now I'm waiting for the results. I created this blog to make Philippine Law easy to understand for the average person. It's all about free legal advice. There are many law blogs. But the problem is that many of them are written for lawyers and law students. They use words that can't be understood by ordinary people.
Many lawyers, judges and law students consider themselves as superior to most human beings because of their knowledge of the law. It bothers me since the law is supposed to serve society. Since the law is meant to serve society as a whole, it is important that is must be understood by everybody.
This does not mean that we should all become lawyers. It means that although law is a highly specialized profession, the first duty of everybody in this profession is to make the law understandable to all; that's why all these articles are free legal advice.
Like I said, this blog is about law -but it's for the ordinary people, not the lawyers. It's for the ordinary folk so they will know what is good and bad for them, and that making them aware of the law will help us all improve society as a whole. This is free legal advice for everybody!
Grounds
Disciplinary actions for elective local
officials are found in sec. 60 to 68 of the Local government Code (RA 7160.)
The grounds for discipline, suspension or removal from office for local elective
officials are listed below. If proven, the proper court may order the
official's removal:
1.) Disloyalty to the Republic of the
Philippines
2.) Culpable violation of the Constitution
3.) Dishonesty, oppression, misconduct in
office, gross negligence or dereliction of duty
4.) Commission of any offense involving
moral turpitude or an offense punishable by at least prision
mayor
5.) Abuse of authority
6.) Unauthorized absence for 15
consecutive days (except in case of members of the sanggunians)
7.) Application for/acquisition of foreign
citizenship, residence or immigrant status in another country
8.) Other grounds provided for in the
Local Government Code and other laws
If the complaint is filed with the courts,
then we have to follow court procedure. Elective officials with a Salary Grade
of 27 and above will be tried by the Sandiganbayan. Below that, the regular courts
come into play.
Below is the administrative procedure of
disciplining local elective officials. The rule on exhaustion of remedies, the
question of whether we go straight to the courts or follow administrative process, is applicable here.
Administrative Complaints
A.) Form and Notice
A verified complaint must be filed against
the elective local official in question and must be filed with the following
government offices:
1.) The Office of the President: for
elective officials of a province or city (whether highly urbanized, independent
component or component)
2.) The sangguniang
panlalawigan: for the officials of a municipality (appealable to the
president)
3.) The city or municipal sanggunian: for elective
barangay officials (the decision becomes final and executory)
Within 7 days from the filing of the
complaint, the president or sanggunian concerned
will order the official in question to submit a verified answer within 15 days
from receipt of the order. Investigation will begin within 10 days after
receiving the answer of the official in question.
Take note of "verified." No
verification means that the complaint will be junked.
If the official in question is of a
province or highly urbanized city, the hearing and investigation will be done
in the place where he holds office. Other elective officials will be heard and
investigated in the sanggunian concerned.
An investigation can't be held within 90
days before any local election; the same holds true for a preventive suspension. If preventive suspension has been imposed before the 90-day period
before the local election, it will automatically be lifted when the 90-day
period starts. This is because the courts have recognized the electorate's
power to forgive and condone an erring official through the local elections
(Salalima vs. Guingona, 257 SCRA 55) but this forgiveness can't apply to
criminal acts.
B.) Preventive Suspension
Preventive suspension may be imposed by
the following:
1.) The president: if the official in
question belongs to a province or a highly urbanized or independent component
city
2.) The governor: if the official in
question belongs to a component city or municipality
3.) The mayor: if it's a barangay official
Preventive suspension can
be imposed at any time after the issues in the complaint are joined and the
evidence of guilt is strong; taking into consideration also the gravity of the
offense and the possibility that the official in question could influence
witnesses or pose a threat to the integrity of the investigation's records and
evidence. Preventive suspension lasts for a maximum of 60 days, but if several
complaints are filed against the same official he can't be suspended for more
than 90 days in a single year for the same ground/s existing at the time of the
first suspension.
After the suspension
period expires, the official is automatically reinstated but the investigation
will continue. The investigation lasts for a maximum of 120 days, beginning
from the time the official in question was formally notified of the case
against him. If he causes delays in the investigation through request, fault or
neglect (but not appeal) the period of delay won't be included in the 120-day
period.
Abuses in the power of
preventive suspension are to be treated as an abuse of authority.
The official in question
won't receive his salary or compensation while the suspension is in effect, but
if exonerated and reinstated
he'll be paid his salary and other emoluments including the
ones that accrued during his suspension. Indefinite preventive
suspension is not allowed (Layno vs. Sandiganbayan, 136 SCRA 536.)
The 120-day period
mentioned above is divided into 2 parts: a maximum of 90 days investigation
proper and a maximum of 30 days period after the end of the investigation
within which a decision is to be rendered. If found guilty and the penalty is
suspension, the suspension term can't last longer than 6 months for every
administrative offense. If an elected official has been punished with
suspension, he can still run for office as long as he's still qualified. This
won't be the case if he's removed from office. If removal is the appropriate
penalty, that official will be barred from running for any elective office.
C.) Appeals
Appeals are to be made within 30 days from
receipt of the decision. In case the decision is made by a municipal or
component city sanggunian,
an appeal is to be made to the provincial sanggunian.
If the decision in question comes from the provincial, highly urbanized or
independent component city sanggunian, appeals are to be made to
the president.
Appeals will not prevent a decision from
becoming final and executory. While on appeal, the official in question will be
treated as being preventively suspended.
6 comments:
Sir yung kgwd po sa brgy sta,fe dasma cavite po .sya po ang peace in ordersa aming brgy ay sinampahan ko ng kasong administrative case, dahil po sa yung humabol po sakin ng saksak ay pinakawalan po niya. At na una ko na po itong sinampahan ng obstraction of justice nasa MTC na po ito.at ang administrative case po ay ipinasa ng ombudsman sa sangguniang panlungsod na ... lahat po ng sinasabi ng kgwd ay puro kasinungalingan po binabaligtad po ang pang yayari at ang mga hinihingi ko pong dokumento sa brgy ay hanggang ngayon po ay hindi ibinibigay sakin ng kompleto ... ayaw po nilang ibigay ang ibang kailangan ko... noong sept 2016 pa po ngyari ito at noong november pa po ako nahingi sa kanila ng dokumento hanggang ngayon po ay kulang po at nakay kgwd po ang susi ng blotter ... at may schedule na po kami ng hearing sa MTC this coming may po... at hindi pa po ba ito mamaring masuspende itong si kgwd ? Malinaw po na nagagamit nya po ang impluwensya nya sa kaso pong ito...
At nag labas po ang MTC ng order of arrest kay kgwd at noong march 13 po ay hinuli po ito at nakulong raw po ng 3 araw nag bail po sya ng 12 k... nag hearing po kami sa sangguniang panlunsod ng dasma cavite noong april 21, 2017 last week lang po at ganon parin po kung ano po ang kontra salaysay ni kgwd sa piskal pinanindigan prin po ni kgwd ang kasinungalingan nito...
At sir kaya po simula po ng mag hearing kami noong april 21,sa sangguniang panlungsod ay hanggang ngayon po ay hindi ko pa po na ipapasa ang mga ebidensya dahil po sa ayaw po nilang ibigay ang ibang dokumento, yung kapitana po namin d2 nasasaklawan po ng kgwd at hinihingan pa po ako ng letter from Court at from Sangguniang panlungsod pinuntahan ko po yan ang sabi po sakin hindi po sila nag bibigay ng authorization letter ... d2 po kitang kita po na pina iiral po nila ang iimpluwensyahan po nila or minamanipula po nila ito.... nag bigay po sila noong april 24 hindi prin po nila kinumpleto,. Kesyo wala raw po si kgwd nasa tagaytay raw po,, kaya wala pong susi.. isa po itong delaying tactiks po... pano po bang dapat kung gawin, kagaya ko pong kulang po sa kaalaman sa batas...
At noong april 24 po nag bigay po sila ng kopya ang kaso po hindi prin po kumpleto.. kaya po mula ng mag hearing po kami sa sangguniang panlungsod noong april 21- ay hindi ko pa po na ipapasa ang iba ko pang ebidensya dahil po jan... delaying tactiks po ang ginagawa po nila at ang kapitan po namin na sasaklawan po ni kgwd... sir ano po bang dapat kong gawin,, sa kagaya po ng kaso at aminin ko po sa inyo kulang po ako sa kaalaman sa batas ...
Sir yung kgwd po sa brgy sta,fe dasma cavite po .sya po ang peace in ordersa aming brgy ay sinampahan ko ng kasong administrative case, dahil po sa yung humabol po sakin ng saksak ay pinakawalan po niya. At na una ko na po itong sinampahan ng obstraction of justice nasa MTC na po ito.at ang administrative case po ay ipinasa ng ombudsman sa sangguniang panlungsod na ... lahat po ng sinasabi ng kgwd ay puro kasinungalingan po binabaligtad po ang pang yayari at ang mga hinihingi ko pong dokumento sa brgy ay hanggang ngayon po ay hindi ibinibigay sakin ng kompleto ... ayaw po nilang ibigay ang ibang kailangan ko... noong sept 2016 pa po ngyari ito at noong november pa po ako nahingi sa kanila ng dokumento hanggang ngayon po ay kulang po at nakay kgwd po ang susi ng blotter ... at may schedule na po kami ng hearing sa MTC this coming may po... at hindi pa po ba ito mamaring masuspende itong si kgwd ? Malinaw po na nagagamit nya po ang impluwensya nya sa kaso pong ito...
Sir pa advise Po ako s ngyayare sbarangay namin s barangay Bucalbucalan sorsogon city.Ang aming barangay captain ay ayaw Ng irenew Ang moa ng aming water system prior to that 1month and 17 days n kami walang tubig.Though pinaparenew nman nong me ari Ang aming council at gusto nnmn Ng mga barangay kagawad namin ung kapitan lang Ang ayaw ...in this matter and n Po ba Ang pwede in gawin ? San ba namin Siya pwedeng ireklamo? Thanks and more power to you!!
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