ILOILO CITY — Less than a month after former Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog here was granted a presidential pardon, the Office of the Ombudsman was asked to probe P41 million in disallowances during his administration.

MABILOG (Tara Yap)
Former Barangay Captain Amado Jubelag Hollero sought a request for assistance (RAF) from the Western Visayas regional office of the Ombudsman.
Hollero was referring to a Commission on Audit (COA) report for 2014 that found a P39.7-million disallowance for the purchase of a landfill compactor.
The COA also flagged another P1-million disallowance for a 2013 transaction wherein a contractor of the Iloilo City government was not charged for the withholding tax.
“This for the pursuit of accountability and transparency,” Hollero wrote in a letter addressed to Ombudsman acting Regional Director R. Epicurus Charlo Salcedo.
As Mabilog is no longer an incumbent official, Hollero sought for the RAF as means for the Ombudsman to look into the disallowances of the city government during Mabilog’s term.
“I seek the Ombudsman’s attention and assistance knowing that a notice of disallowance can only be settled either through payment (refund) or through submission of required documents,” Hollero noted.
Lawyer Noel Palomado had earlier said that the executive clemency issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will not cover any other legal liabilities of Mabilog.
The presidential pardon issued last Jan. 15 only removed administrative penalties after Mabilog was found guilty of serious dishonesty and grave misconduct on his alleged unexplained wealth.