Kalinga mayor suspended

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The mayor of Rizal town in Kalinga has been suspended for 90 days.

Marcelo de la Cruz Jr. was found guilty of simple misconduct, according to the Office of the Ombudsman. 

In an eight-page ruling recently approved by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, graft probers said De la Cruz authorized the release of funds from the savings of the municipal government for the grant of cash gifts and incentives to municipal and barangay employees in 2014 in violation of Section 336 of the Local Government Code.    

The ombudsman said a mayor could not use the savings of the local government to augment an item provided in the municipal budget.

Sangguniang Bayan members Rogelio Lawad, Robert Echalar, Frank Wad-asen, Colin Dalanao and Ponz Anthony Orodio filed the complaint.