CEBU CITY-- Cebu City Councilor James Anthony Cuenco on Thursday filed a petition for review on certiorari with a prayer for an issuance of a temporary restraining order before the Court of Appeals here.
The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Cuenco from government service for serious dishonesty and grave misconduct.
The city councilor's dismissal stemmed from his alleged involvement in the anomalous PHP3.34 million program funded by his father, former Congressman Antonio Cuenco’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) over a decade ago.
Department of Interior and Local Government in Cebu City Director Joy Calvo said they served the dismissal order to the councilor’s office at City Hall on Tuesday.
Also found guilty was Manuel Tipgos, named together with the younger Cuenco as among those who made questionable transactions in the implementation of the Tony N’ Tommy (TNT) Health Program, then ran by the dismissed councilor.
Aside from the dismissal, the Ombudsman also ordered the cancellation of Cuenco’s eligibility, forfeiture of his retirement benefits, and his perpetual disqualification from government service.
Cuenco questioned the motive and the timing of the decision by the anti-graft office.
“I have a sneaking suspicion that politics is behind this, but we will fight until the end. My conscience is clear. We will exhaust all legal remedies,” Cuenco said in a press conference on Thursday.
Cuenco said the alleged irregularities happened in 2004 and that the case filed against him had been dismissed.
In 2013, a complaint was filed before the Ombudsman against the councilor and Tipgos after the Commission on Audit (COA) found that beneficiaries of TNT Health Program were non-existent.
Louis James Yrastorza, one of TNT’s staff, attested in an affidavit that in August 2003 “the names of the supposed beneficiaries were fabricated and that it was respondent Cuenco who signs the fake referrals.”
Based on the COA’s findings and testimonies of some people, the Ombudsman has concluded that Cuenco and Tipgos, now a Bureau of Internal Revenue officer, have committed “serious acts of dishonesty in implementing the TNT Program.” (PNA)
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