The Office of the Ombudsman found Dimiao, Bohol Mayor Danilo Guivencan guilty of Simple Neglect of Duty and was ordered suspended for one month and one day.
Investigation found that respondent failed to indicate his wife’s business interests and financial connections in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALNs) from 2010 to 2012.
In his counter-affidavit, Guivencan claimed that he failed to pay attention to the details of his SALNs that were prepared by his office staff and further claimed that the business interests were already declared in his 2013 SALN.
The Ombudsman Decision stated that “respondent’s reliance on his personnel to fill out his SALN and signing the same without checking or verifying the completeness of the entries therein is a clear display of carelessness and failure to give proper attention to the task imposed by law.”
Section 8 of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (Republic Act No. 6713) requires all public officials and employees to accomplish a statement under oath showing their assets, liabilities and net worth and financial and business interests as of 31 December of every year, including those of their spouses and of unmarried children under 18 years of age living in their households, and to submit this on or before 30 April of the succeeding year. ###