President Benigno Aquino III has dismissed Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzalez III over handling of the case against hostage-taker former Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, a statement from the Executive Secretary said Friday.
The decision came from a recommendation of Palace lawyers who reviewed the findings of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee(IIRC), the statement said.
The government official noted that Gonzales' dismissal is due to his “gross neglect of duty and gross misconduct" in handling the dismissal complaint against Mendoza.
This decision is a a direct action against an official in connection with the August 23 hostage-taking following the review of the IIRC report by the Palace legal team headed by Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr., the statement said.
The decision was issued on March 31, 2011.
"This decision reflects this Administration’s commitment to hold those responsible for the hostage-taking incident accountable,” Ochoa said.
"Those of us who serve government must be cognizant of the fact that people are affected by our failure to fulfill our responsibilities. In this case, lives were not only affected, they were lost," Ochoa added.
The 15-page decision indicated that it found an "inordinate and unjustified delay in the resolution of the motion for reconsideration timely filed by Mendoza on his dismissal from police service – a clear neglect of performance of official duty."
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