The Office of the President has suspended Abra Vice Governor Maria Jocelyn Valera-Bernos for 18 months in connection to an administrative case filed against her when she was governor.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) served the suspension order on Bernos.
The suspension was directed by the Office of the President through the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs.
The case against Bernos stems from her time as the governor of Abra where she faced charges of oppression, abuse of authority, conduct unbecoming of a public official, and disobedience to national government policies.
The charges were filed by a medical director of a hospital in Abra.
BACKGROUND
The case was connected to a lockdown Bernos enforced at the hospital in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic after a nurse tested positive for covid.
The medical director argued that the lockdown was baseless since it did not have the concurrence of the CAR-Regional Inter-Agency Task Force.
Bernos defended her decision, stating that she was ensuring the safety of the people of Abra from the virus.
Bernos believes the suspension is moot and academic since she is no longer the governor of Abra.
Her legal team has filed a petition for certiorari in court, seeking a temporary restraining order. They also plan to elevate the case before the Court of Appeals.
"Ang kinukuwestyon natin ay bakit nila ipapatupad ang in-impose na suspension noong nakaraang termino [as governor] ni Vice Governor Joy," Atty. Kurdel Paroy, Bernos' legal counsel, said.
SIMILAR COMPLAINT
The Ombudsman previously dismissed a similar complaint against Bernos on May 4, 2022.
Bernos expressed surprise when the suspension order was served last Tuesday, August 20, 2024, noting that the order was posted in her office as she was not present at the time.
She suspects the suspension may be politically motivated, given the upcoming elections.
“Parang ginagamit na nila ng power nila to attack yung mga kalaban nila dito sa baba, so I am again appealing to the Office of the President to verify this case or validate this case," Bernos said.
The DILG and Office of the President are yet to release a statement as of this writing.
