The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the six months suspension of Mayor Genevieve Lim-Reyes of Caluya, Antique after she was found guilty of Oppression. The suspension order came after the Ombudsman found that Reyes unlawfully authorized the clearing operation on a five-hectare coconut farmland in Sitio Poocan, Barangay Tinogboc in February 2014. The clearing operation was allegedly undertaken in order to pave the way for a housing project to relocate residents from Sitio Sabang to Sitio Poocan.
The Ombudsman said that Reyes failed to present any application from the Philippine Coconut Authority for the cutting of coconut trees or land conversion. In July 2014, the Commission on Human Rights requested the mayor to halt all relocation, eviction and demolition due to lack of proper and adequate consultation with the affected residents.
In its Resolution, the Ombudsman ruled that “no sanggunian resolution supporting the housing project was presented as legal basis for respondent’s directive to clear and level the land. This reinforces the conclusion that the clearing operation was made without due process of law.” The Local Government Code of 1991 promotes a policy of consultation prior to the implementation of certain projects consistent with the spirit of due process.
Oppression, also known as grave abuse of authority, is a misdemeanor committed by a public officer, who under color of his office, wrongfully inflicts upon any person any bodily harm, imprisonment or other injury. It is an act of cruelty, severity or excessive use of authority. ###