Dismissed mayor refuses to step down

SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan, Philippines – The mayor of this city, who was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman over the alleged overpriced construction of a government building, has refused to step down.

At the weekly flag-raising ceremony yesterday, San Jose del Monte Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro said the dismissal order could not be immediately implemented.

San Pedro said his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio would appeal the ombudsman ruling and file a motion for the issuance of a temporary restraining order with the Court of Appeals.

San Pedro said he would also seek relief from the Commission on Elections regarding his reelection bid.

San Pedro’s dismissal stemmed from a complaint for grave abuse of authority and grave misconduct filed by city engineer Rufino Gravador Jr.

The ombudsman also ordered the cancellation of San Pedro’s civil service eligibility, forfeiture of his retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from holding  public office.

The National Bureau of Investigation filed frustrated murder charges against San Pedro and four others in February for the ambush of Gravador last year.

Gravador said San Pedro could be behind the ambush, noting that he received threats after the ombudsman issued subpoenas on the cases he filed against the mayor and 16 other city officials.