Rosario, Cavite mayor preventively suspended over alleged gambling

MANILA — The Office of the Ombudsman has preventively suspended Rosario, Cavite Mayor Jose Voltaire Ricafrente due to alleged gambling activities.

In a statement on Thursday, the Ombudsman said Ricafrente will not receive a salary for up to six months, pending the resolution of the complaints of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service against him.

“Ultimately, it should be borne in mind that the issuance of a preventive suspension order does not amount to a prejudgment of the merits of the case. It is merely a preventive measure, a preliminary step in an administrative investigation and therefore not a penalty in itself,” the Ombudsman said, citing its order.

It added that the local chief executive’s “continued stay in office could prejudice the investigation, particularly because of his access to government records and potential influence over witnesses.”

The anti-graft body said its investigators filed the complaints following its probe, which revealed that Ricafrente supposedly played at a casino in Bacolod with P30,000 worth of casino chips and won P10,000 last March 14.

It noted that the mayor was accompanied by four individuals.

Under the Office of the President’s Memorandum Circular 06 series of 2016, government officials and employees are restricted from entering, staying, or playing in gambling casinos.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government was furnished a copy of the order, which is immediately executory, and was instructed to submit a proof of compliance to the Ombudsman’s office.