The former office-in-charge Mayor of Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, Kuyoh Pajiji, was found guilty of Abuse of Authority by the Office of the Ombudsman, for his refusal to implement Civil Service Commission (CSC) resolutions reinstating three municipal employees whom he terminated in 2006 without valid justification.
The nine-page Decision stated that respondent has abused his authority when he did not heed the CSC-ARMM’s Resolutions dated 26 August 2011 and 19 January 2012, and the CSC letter dated 25 October 2012, all of which have become final and executory, without sufficient justification. As OIC-Mayor, “he is mandated to ensure that all officers, including himself, faithfully discharge their duties and functions as directed by the Local Government Code,” the Ombudsman added.
The Ombudsman imposed upon Pajiji a three-month suspension without pay, which is convertible into a fine in an amount equivalent to respondent’s salary for three months in case of his separation from service.
There is abuse of authority “when there is excessive or improper use of a thing, or to employ it in a manner contrary to natural or legal rules for its use, as to abuse one’s authority. Abuse includes misuse.”###