The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Monday said it has officially served on Friday Catanduanes Gov. Joseph Cua a six-month suspension order slapped against him by the Office of the Ombudsman.
At the same time, the DILG has designated the vice governor as acting provincial governor in compliance with a directive from the Office of the Ombudsman.
The DILG Regional Office 5 in Legazpi City served the Ombudsman suspension order at around 11 a.m. on Friday at the governor’s office at the Catanduanes Provincial Capitol in Virac town.
“Our campaign against corruption is unrelenting and we are working closely with the Office of the Ombudsman in its anticorruption efforts,” Interior Secretary Eduardo M. Año said in a news statement.
The Office of the Ombudsman suspended Cua for a period of six months, without pay, pending an investigation on the charges against him for alleged abuse of authority, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service, dishonesty and grave misconduct.
The DILG chief said that he also issued an order designating Vice Gov. Sherley Abundo as acting governor effective immediately.
Abundo shall perform all the duties and functions inherent to the Office of the Governor.
“Our action suspending the governor of Catanduanes is in compliance with the decision of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon imposing a preventive suspension during the pendency of OMB-LA-18-0-319 case, entitled Rey Mendez v. Gov. Joseph Cua and Mayor Eulogio Rodriguez,” Año said.
The governor’s suspension stemmed from the administrative complaint filed by a certain Rey Mendez of Virac town before the Office of the Ombudsman against him and Mayor Rodriguez of Bato town.
In his complaint, Mendez claimed that Cua allegedly allowed ER Construction, a firm owned by the mayor to use a vacant lot owned by the province free of charge and without the proper authorization from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
In its order, the Ombudsman said that the “testimony of the complainant and the documents presented, which are indicative of strong evidence of guilt, at this stage, compel this office to grant the preventive suspension prayed for.”