Aurora vice mayor’s dismissal sought over illegal logging

11/01/2009

A group of concerned citizens in Dipaculao town in the province of Aurora has filed a two-page administrative complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against the vice mayor of the municipality over his alleged involvement in illegal logging activities there.

In a two-page complaint, the group had also asked the Ombudsman to immediately dismiss Dipaculao Vice Mayor Narciso Amansec from his post and to be barred from taking future government posts.

Basing their case on an affidavit executed by a certain Roderick Tangalin on Jan. 14 last year, the group accused Amansec of engaging in illegal logging operations in Aurora province in 2007.

“On the basis of the supporting documents, the penalties of dismissal from service, perpetual disqualification from re-employment in the government service, cancellation of eligibility and bar from taking Civil Service Examination be imposed upon Vice Mayor Amansec,” the petitioners said.

Based on Tangalin’s affidavit, Amansec was the owner of 10,380-board feet of lumber with a value of P2,354,638 that was intercepted by Dipaculao police on Nov. 13, 2007.

In a resolution dated Aug. 11, 2008, Amansec, together with other private individuals were charged by the provincial prosecutor of Aurora before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Baler, Aurora for violation of Presidential Decree 705, or the Revised Forestry Code.

He was afterward arrested on the strength of a warrant issued by Judge Armando Yanga of the Aurora RTC Branch 66 and has since been imprisoned at the Aurora Provincial Jail.

Amansec’s alleged illegal logging operations constitute grave misconduct.

The Supreme Court has defineds misconduct as “a transgression of some established and definite rule of action, more particularly, unlawful behavior or gross negligence by a public officer.

“As differentiated from simple misconduct, in grave misconduct the elements of corruption, clear intent to violate the law or flagrant disregard of establishment rule, must be manifest,” the petitioners pointed out.

“Vice Mayor Amansec’s illegal logging operations also constitute conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service,” they stressed. Jason Faustino

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