Reelected Porac mayor DQ’d over Pogo link
Mayor-elect Jaime “Jing” Capil. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) officer in Porac, Pampanga, has issued a notice reconvening the municipal board of canvassers (MBOC) on June 3 to implement the order of the poll body’s Second Division declaring Mayor-elect Jaime “Jing” Capil disqualified in the May 12 polls.
Capil proceeded with his reelection bid even though the Office of the Ombudsman permanently disqualified him from government service last April due to gross neglect of duty in a case filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police.
The case stemmed from the illegal operations and criminal activities of the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) Lucky South 99, which authorities raided and shut down in June 2024 following complaints of torture, human trafficking, prostitution and financial scams.
READ: Comelec disqualifies Porac mayor linked to Pogo
In its May 28 resolution, the Comelec Second Division cited the Ombudsman’s April 3 decision to perpetually disqualify Capil.
“One who is removed from office as a result of an administrative case is disqualified from running for any local elective position,” the division’s eight-page resolution read in part.
It also directed the MBOC to treat Capil’s votes as stray.
The MBOC was instructed to “make the necessary corrections in the certificate of canvass of votes and proclamation and proclaim the candidate with the highest number of valid votes.”
That candidate is Michael Tapang, a former provincial board member who filed the disqualification case with the Comelec following the Ombudsman’s disqualification order.
Tapang garnered 23,063 votes, while Capil received 39,939.
Capil has not issued any public statements as of Thursday or confirmed whether he would appeal the resolution.
‘Cry for democracy’
His supporters posted statements urging the public to “ilaban taya ing gulisak ning demokrasya (fight for the cry of democracy).”
“The Comelec cannot overturn the decision of the majority,” a post, written in Kapampangan, said.
Supporters also encouraged the posting of stickers with slogans like “We stand with JVC (Capil)” and “I am 1 of the 39,939.”
Capil earlier said that he would exhaust all legal avenues to uphold the majority’s decision to elect him to a new term.
Lizette Mallari, MBOC chair, invited accredited political parties, party representatives, concerned stakeholdersand the general public to attend the reconvening on June 3 at 10 a.m. at the old municipal hall in Barangay Poblacion, according to a copy of the notice.
READ: Dismissed mayor wins re-election in Porac, Pampanga
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian earlier said that the Ombudsman’s perpetual disqualification order should “serve as a deterrent to future misconduct by other government officials.”
Gatchalian, who initiated the Senate inquiry into Pogo-related crimes, said Capil’s case “sends a strong message that public officials who turn a blind eye to or engage in illegal activities will be held accountable and face the consequences of their actions.”
“The Ombudsman’s decision gives us confidence that other LGUs (local government units) and public officials similarly involved in criminal activities, such as Pogos, will face the repercussions of their wrongdoing,” the senator said in a statement.
Penalty
Capil’s penalty includes dismissal from the service, cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government service.
In addition to Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) chief Emerald Vital’s sworn testimony that “she has no authority to act or recommend as the supposed head of Porac’s BPLO,” and that the authority and decision-making process in granting the questioned business permits emanated solely from Capil, other circumstances also implicated the executive.
The Ombudsman’s decision stated that Capil met Cassandra Li Ong—an incorporator of Whirlwind Corp., which allegedly leased the land to Lucky South—at a café in Angeles City in October 2019 and introduced her to municipal councilors.
It noted that a special session was held at a restaurant by the council “with undue haste” after it received a request from Lucky South 99 for a letter of no objection for a business process outsourcing operation.
The decision also cited Capil’s “undisclosed reason for inaction or conscious disregard” of a report and recommendation to deny the renewal of Lucky South 99’s business permit in 2020.
It further highlighted his “lack of monitoring and oversight supervision of Lucky South 99’s operations even after reports of illegal activities from the PNP reached his office,” and the “renewal of said business permit in 2023, which extended beyond the expiration date of Lucky South 99’s Pogo license.”
Although Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the House of Representatives’ quad committee, issued a certification clearing Capil, the spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said the mayor was “not yet off the hook.”
PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said: “Although we respect the findings of the House of Representatives’ QuadComm on the supposed absence of liability of the Porac local government unit, the commission stands by its own findings that led to the filing of graft charges against Mayor Capil.”
