By Felipe V Celino
ROXAS CITY, Capiz – The Roxas City Prosecutor’s Office junked the falsification charge while the lower court dismissed the usurpation of power case filed by a former village chief against a losing candidate for punong barangay for lack of probable cause.
In a resolution issued by the Roxas City Prosecutor Office on December 28, 2023, and made available on January 12, 2024, the investigating prosecutor found no ground to prosecute former barangay kagawad Gigi Obera of Brgy. Tiza, Roxas City for falsification of public documents.
Meanwhile, Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 1 Judge Jennie Anne Logronio of Roxas City also found no probable cause to indict Obera for usurpation of power. The decision is in an order dated January 12, 2024.
The two cases were filed by former punong barangay, now barangay kagawad Alfredo “Menong” Albaladejo of Brgy. Tiza after Obera issued a certificate of indigency to security guard Jonathan Reano of Sitio Bangkiling of Brgy. Tiza in October last year, which happened to be within the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) period.
Albaladejo, who was on his last term as punong barangay during that time, was not in the Barangay Hall when Reano sought the certificate and it happened that Obera was there.
Albaladejo filed the two cases with the City Prosecutor’s Office claiming that a punong barangay is the only person authorized to issue a certificate of indigency.
A candidate for punong barangay, Obera believed that politics was the motive behind the filing of the cases.
Obera lost to former kagawad Dax Noel Alovera for punong barangay while Albaladejo, who was running under the ticket of Alovera, won as kagawad.
