An Abra regional court quashed the order issued by the town government of Bangued, suspending six barangay officials of Calaba because of a controversial tarpaulin which prescribed the death penalty for repeat litterbugs in the village.
Judge German Ballesteros III of the Regional Trial Court Branch 1 declared the 90-day preventive suspension against village officials barangay chairman Renato Brasuela, village councilors Marjun Santiago, Rosemel Viado, Marlbour Jude Valera, Carmelita Venus, and Sangguniang Kabataan chairperson Darryl Blanes “null and void for lack of factual and legal basis.”.
Brasuela and company had filed a petition for certiorari against the suspension order, recommended by the municipal council for alleged grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, gross neglect of duty, gross dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service on May 3, which was subsequently enacted by Bangued Mayor Mila Valera on May 6.
Brasuela and company had claimed in their defense that there was no such death penalty enacted in the village and that the tarpaulin was not their doing.
Ballesteros, in the decision to strike down the suspension order, said that there was not enough solid evidence, questioning why the suspension was only for the specific 6 officials and stating that the hasty suspension order was “unreasonable” and disregards the officials’ rights to due process.
