Maybe it was just serendipity E

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

There may have been justification for penalizing them, but the rash of suspensions and dismissals that have been coming out recently from the Office of the Ombudsman, through the Department of Interior and Local Government, could only give ideas to the citizenry of something onerous about their timing.

Everybody knows that there is a moratorium on the suspension of officials with pending charges when the period set for the election season is on. That period is supposed to begin today, January 15, for the elections set in May this year. This is perceived to be a practical and humane aspect of the Election Code because those officials facing charges could be seeking re-election and, certainly, the stigma of having been imposed a suspension would affect their chances of being voted upon.

Aside from that, such officials would also be out of office and without pay for the duration of the suspension which, in the current cases, are mostly for no less than 90 days, or three months - the very three months preceding the elections. What if these officials turn out to be innocent of the charges and their cases are dismissed?

In the past few days, in fact as recently as last Friday, suspension and dismissal orders have been coming out against several officials, most of them, note, from the Opposition or other parties. Cavite Governor Erineo Maliksi, after staving off the first order, has again been issued another suspension. Governor Arman Sanchez of Batangas is also being suspended. Three mayors, Joel Panaligan of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro, Ricardo Evangelista of Aguirre, Pangasinan, and Joniper Villegas of Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental, all have 90-day suspensions imposed on them.

In Iloilo, a dismissal order is poised to be served today to Governor Niel Tupas, by the DILG. Another dismissal order has also been issued against Pasay City Mayor Peewee Trinidad. Both are noted to be with the opposition.

Some of the orders were served by the DILG last Friday only, some even failed to reach the ones concerned and will reportedly be served today. Is that fair play?

One can only wonder why both the Office of the Ombudsman and the DILG suddenly got very busy and got the work done just at the eleventh hour before the moratorium day. Could it have been coincidence, or just serendipity for their successors or would-be opponents?*