Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has dismissed from the service Mayor Hadji Nasser Imam of Matanog, Maguindanao for mishandling the financial affairs of the municipality.
Morales also ordered the forfeiture of his retirement benefits and permanent disqualification from holding public office in the future.
The administrative penalties for grave misconduct and neglect of duty were based on the findings that Imam was remiss in his duties to amortize the R30 million infrastructure loan obtained from the Philippine Postal Savings Bank Inc. (PPSBI) in 2010.
The loan was supposed to fund the construction of a 28-kilometer farm-to-market road.
For his defense, Imam explained that the local government could not immediately repay the debts because of a series of typhoons that hit the town in 2012, using all available funds instead to rehabilitation and social services.
(Jun Ramirez)