Mandaue mayor, 4 councilors, charged before Office of Ombudsman, OP
MANDAUE City Mayor Jonas Cortes and four city councilors are facing complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of the President for allegedly distributing privately-owned lots to informal settlers.
The six-page complaint was filed by private lot owner, Maria Priscilla Melendres, against Mayor Cortes and city councilors Maline Cortes-Zafra, Oscar del Castillo, Jen Del Mar, and Cynthia Remedio, and was received by the Office of Ombudsman Samuel Martires and the Office of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on March 20, 2024.
It was learned that the charges at the Ombudsman include violation of Section 3 of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The local officials were also accused before the Office of the President.
Melendres also sought for the preventive suspension of the respondents.
In the said complaint, Melendres said she filed the complaint after the said local officials allegedly claimed her land and distributed them as relocation site to informal settlers, which is violation of Section 60 of the Local Government Code at Section 3 of the Republic Act 3019, known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
She lamented that the said government officials did not recognize her ownership of the lots saying that these are areas that are described as timberland.
Melendres said she owned the said 9.5-hectares of land which was located in Zone Ahos, Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue, as she had bought if from her grandmother.
Even the tax payment declaration for the said lots is also registered under her name and recognized by the city government.
