The dismissal order of the Office of the Ombudsman against Barangay Captain Noli Villarosa of Tangub, Bacolod City, is not final and he still has the right to file a motion for reconsideration or an appeal before the Court of Appeals, his lawyer Caesar Distrito said Saturday, December 3.
“It was purely a harassment case filed against Villarosa, and clearly a result of his performance of his lawful duty. This is not a case of graft and corruption,” Distrito said.
The case against Villarosa was filed by Candido Medalla.
Villarosa was charged because he allegedly demolished a cyclone fence that encroached on the right of way and sidewalk along Ramylu Drive in Tangub in compliance with an order of former President Rodrigo Duterte to clear all roads and sidewalks from obstructions, Distrito said.
In fact, the owner of the structure had received just compensation of P5,000 in exchange for its removal. However, a different person who allegedly has an axe to grind against Villarosa filed a case, he added.
“The Ombudsman had already dismissed this administrative case and the criminal case they filed. My client was surprised that the Ombudsman reversed its decision”, Distrito said.
Villarosa remains the barangay captain of Tangub, and his legal team will exhaust all available remedies. “We are confident that a TRO will be issued in favor of my client or this will be reversed in his favor,” he added.
“For the meantime my client will continue to perform his duties as Punong Barangay, and see to it that public service for his constituents will not be hampered,” Distrito said.*