Manila: The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended the mayor and 14 other officials of Amlan town in Negros Oriental for grave misconduct relative to the alleged repeated granting of bonuses under the government's Program of Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE).

According to Philippines News Agency, the decision stemmed from the local government unit's release of bonuses in 2019, 2021, and 2022, amounting to millions of pesos, despite the Commission on Audit's notices of disallowance. Amlan Mayor Manuel Jose Sycip, one of the respondents, mentioned that they received a copy of the Ombudsman order earlier and filed a motion for reconsideration.

Sycip stated that even though the order was not officially served, they submitted their motion for reconsideration as part of the process. He refrained from elaborating on their response but suggested that the suspension might be a political maneuver by detractors. The suspension order, dated and signed on October 28, 2024, took months to be received.

Sycip argued that the PRAISE bonuses are permissible as they are part of a government program rewarding deserving employees. Besides Sycip, the other respondents include municipal vice mayor Allan Marie Tan, municipal accountant Marie Jun Maturan, several Sangguniang Bayan members, and other officials. All except for Abalos were suspended for one year without pay and warned against repeating the offense.

The complaint against Abalos was dismissed as she has left government service. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Central Visayas, Negros Oriental, and Negros Island Region have not yet received a copy of the Ombudsman's order.

Farah Gentuya, DILG-Negros Oriental provincial director, noted the lack of clarity on which agency is responsible for serving the suspension order. Without official communication, she refrained from commenting further. In the event of a vacuum in offices, the rule of succession will apply, allowing elected officials not covered by the suspension to assume acting roles.

To address quorum issues at the Sangguniang Bayan, the NIR-legal office advised adjusting the quorum based on the remaining officials. Gentuya added that the implementing agency could be the DILG, the Office of the Governor, or the Ombudsman, though it remains undetermined.