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Batangas mayor faces raps for unauthorized US trip
Administrative charges were filed against San Pascual, Batangas Mayor Roanna Conti at the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday over her alleged unauthorized vacation to the United States with her family.
Based on the complaint-affidavit of Vice Mayor Antonio Dimayuga, Conti went to the US from December 20, 2018 to January 5, 2019 without the knowledge of the municipal council and the travel authority from Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas.
"This vacation remained unknown to the local government most especially to the members of the Sangguniang Bayan of the municipality of San Pascual, Batangas until several pictures of the respondent's vacation circulated around the internet," Dimayuga said.
Dimayuga attached several posts of Conti's husband, Nick, and a certain Lala Ilao-Dingalasan on Facebook showing photos of their trip to California and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dimayuga said Conti received a travel authority from Mandanas, but noted none of them signed the application for leave of the local chief executive. The same leave form was also not received by the Office of the Provincial Governor.
Furthermore, Dimayuga accused Human Resource Management Officer and Acting Administrator Ronaldo Gonzales Jr. of acting in conspiracy with Conti for concealing her travel documents.
He said this prevented him from assuming the post of Conti on a temporary basis while her trip was ongoing, especially when a calamity then struck the town.
"With the aid of her conspirators including but not limited to the municipal administrator, respondent Conti intentionally and purposely concealed her overseas travel to the Sangguniang Bayan for political reasons in order not to let the vice local chief executive at such time to assume her temporarily vacated post in lieu of her 'leave,'" Dimayuga said.
'Politically motivated'
Conti, in a statement, said she secured the approval of Mandanas for the trip and vowed to file perjury charges against Dimayuga for making false accusations against her.
Conti also said the complaint was politically-motivated since Dimayuga wants to get re-elected as mayor of San Pascual.
"This case is totally baseless accusation, which will only waste the time and energy of our good prosecutors in the Ombudsman’s office. Mr. Dimayuga merely wants attention and the need to feel important," Conti said.
"Perhaps the old politician, who is the real person facing graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman, is growing senile and wants to make a return as mayor even if the recent elections showed that people preferred a new leadership," she added. — KG/RSJ, GMA News
