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Deceased Porac councilor’s elder sister is now the town’s acting mayor
PAMPANGA, Philippines – One of the officials in Porac, Pampanga, suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman over the Lucky South 99 offshore gaming operations in the town has been dead for more than a year.
The local officials were handed a preventive suspension order in connection with a complaint for gross neglect of duty filed by Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Juan Victor Llamas, due to the activities of the raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) in Porac.
Among those suspended was Porac Councilor Regin Clarete, who died in May 2023. He was succeeded by his older sister, Myla Clarete, in the town council in September of that year.
Myla, now the acting mayor of Porac, is the sister-in-law of former councilor Mike Tapang, who filed his certificate of candidacy for the town’s mayoralty with support from reputed Pampanga kingmaker Rodolfo “Bong” Pineda.
Myla assumed office on October 10, two days after the preventive suspension of officials in the town, including Mayor Jaime “Jing” Capil and Vice Mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo.
Also suspended were the following Porac officials:
- Councilor Rohner Buan
- Councilor Rafael Canlapan
- Councilor Adrian Carreon
- Councilor Essel Joy David
- Hilario Dimalanta
- Michelle Santos
- John Nuevy Venzon
- Emerald Vital, licensing assistant and former officer-in-charge of the business permit and licensing office
In the order, the ombudsman said that “given respondents’ power and authority, there is strong probability that they may influence witnesses or tamper with any evidence material to the case, and in order to likewise prevent any possible acts of malfeasance and/or misfeasance.”
“They are hereby preventively suspended during the pendency of this case until its termination, but not to exceed the total period of six months, without pay,” read part of the order.
Myla said, “Nothing will change in the normal operations of the municipality. Projects will continue. We won’t allow any delays in barangay projects.”
The complaint was filed by Llamas against 11 public officials, including Regin, and six other former members of the town council.
Jing Capil, the suspended mayor, is the second local chief executive to be preventively suspended due to POGOs. The first was the now dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping.
“We did not receive the complaint and we’re not given the chance to reply. From all indications, we were not given due process,” he said. – Rappler.com
