The Office of the Ombudsman recently suspended Porac Mayor Jing Capil, together with 10 other public officials including a deceased councilor, Regin Clarete. Regin died in May 2023 and is now succeeded by his sister, the acting mayor Myla, who assumed office on October 10. Myla is also the sister-in-law of former councilor Mike Tapang, who is running for mayor in the 2025 elections with the support of political kingmaker, Bong Pineda.
Coincidentally, the six-month preventive suspension to 11 public officials in Porac was issued on October 8, the last day of the filing of certificates of candidacy.
Capil is the second local chief executive to be suspended over POGOs. The first was former Bamban Mayor, Alice Guo,.or Guo Hua Ping.
Preventive suspension is a standard practice in investigations involving public officials to ensure the fairness of the probe, and to avoid the possibility of officials influencing the investigation through their position.
The decision to issue a suspension is linked to alleged gross neglect of duty regarding the operations of the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Lucky South 99. Given the allegations against multiple local officials in handling the application of POGO in their town, which by the way was legitimized under the previous administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte, it has recently faced a crackdown from the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The complaint was filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Was due diligence exercised in the filing of the complaint? Was the process expedited? Or were they simply unaware of the death of Clarete? According to Capil, he did not receive any complaint nor were they given a chance to reply.
Capil attended the series of hearings conducted by the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and he was never cited for contempt. But where are the other local chief executives from the other raided POGOs? The notable raids began in May 2023 at the Clark Freeport, followed by operations in Las Piñas City, several others in Pasay City, and then in Cebu.
Was the mayor of Pasay ever called to appear? After all, she was the mayor when the infamous torture chamber and aquarium were discovered not located behind the municipal hall, like the Bamban POGO, but right along the street near Pasay City Hall, just a stone’s throw from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Senate of the Philippines. The disparity, though…