MANILA - The Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal of six government auditors for grave misconduct after receiving multi-million peso worth of compensation and bonuses from the Local Water Utilities Administration from 2006 to 2010.



Aside from dismissal, the following state auditors are also perpetually disqualified for reemployment in the government service with cancellation of civil service eligibility and forfeiture of retirement benefits:



Juanito Daguno, Jr.,



Proceso Saavedra,



Teresita Tam,



Corazon Cabotage,



Evangeline Sison, and



Vilma Tiongson,





Also included in the dismissal order are data machine operators Violeta Gamil and Roberto Villa.



They are also facing criminal indictment for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, together with the following COA executives:

Edna Anical



Thelma Baldovino



Evelyn De Leon



Nestorio Ferrera



Zoharayda Obog



Ligaya Principio



Jesusa Punsalan



Paulino Sarmiento



Meanwhile, LWUA executives Lorenzo Jamora, Wilfredo Feleo, Orlando Hondrade and Daniel Landingin were found guilty of simple misconduct, and were ordered suspended for six months without pay.



The Ombudsman's investigation disclosed that Jamora and other LWUA executives approved and signed Letters of Instructions for the issuance of checks for LWUA and COA personnel's irregular bonuses from 2006 to 2010.



The money given to the following LWUA and COA personnel amounted to P25 million:

Edna Anical, P789,000



Thelma Baldovino, P886,000



Evelyn De Leon, P517,000



Juanito Daguno, Jr., P615,000



Nestorio Ferrera, P961,000



Violeta Gamil, P834,000



Zoharayda Obog, P658,000



Ligaya Principio, P642,000



Jesusa Punsalan, P602,000



Proceso Saavedra, P692,000



Paulino Sarmiento, P703,000



Teresita Tam, P592,000



Roberto Villa, P650,000



Corazon Cabotage, P542,000



Evangeline Sison, P183,000, and



Vilma Tiongson, P164,000.



The resolution stated that “the amount given were huge and arbitrary. The COA machine operator assigned at LWUA received P140,000 and P43,000 in November 2006. They each received bonuses twice a month in November 2006, September and December 2007, September and December 2008, and March 2010.



"The patent disregard of the existing policy of their own institution against the practice of receiving additional compensation cannot be deemed a mere lapse of judgment. Respondents, being state auditors and employees of COA itself, are presumed to know the prohibition," the resolution read.



Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales explained, "COA auditors and employees were obviously motivated by malicious intent to favor self-interest at the expense of the public” and that “their acts are contrary to accepted rules of right and duty, honesty and good morals.”



The Ombudsman also said that the LWUA executives' "stamp of approval and authorization for fund disbursement as payment for the questioned benefits is a clear transgression” of the Salary Standardization Law and other COA regulations.