PANDAN, CATANDUANES — The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the case filed against former Mayor Raul E. Tabirara of Pandan, Catanduanes, after finding the complaint to be without merit. The decision was outlined in a Joint Resolution released on February 20, 2025.
The case was filed by Ruth I. Tabligan, owner of R.I.T. Resort (formerly Paraiso Ni Honesto), over Mayor Tabirara’s alleged refusal to renew her resort’s business permit. Tabligan had accused Tabirara of violating Section 3(a), (e), and (f) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and other administrative offenses.
However, the Ombudsman’s investigation found that Mayor Tabirara had sufficient reasons for not granting the business permit. According to the resolution, the complainant’s application was found to have multiple issues and was incomplete, including:
- Defective Barangay Business Clearance: The clearance was signed by a local councilor (Kagawad) who lacked the authority to do so.
- Lack of Building Permit: The resort failed to submit the necessary building permit.
- DAR Cease and Desist Order (CDO): An existing CDO from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) was in place due to the “unauthorized conversion” of the land.
The resolution further stated that Mayor Tabirara’s creation of a Technical Review Team (TRT) to examine the application demonstrated his “good faith” and non-arbitrary action. The Ombudsman found that the Mayor’s actions could not be considered “unreasonable, unfair, oppressive or discriminatory” because the complainant had persistently failed to comply with the required documents.
Consequently, the Ombudsman declared there was no “probable cause” to pursue the criminal case, and the administrative charges were dismissed for lack of merit.This ruling formally closes the case against former Mayor Tabirara, following a hearing attended by both parties on October 1, 2024. | Francis Benedict | Bicol Peryodiko
