Borbon VM wins CA rulings, to return to his post

CA SAYS: NO GRAVE MISCONDUCT

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In its ruling, the CA held that there was no substantial evidence to establish the elements of grave misconduct.

The court stressed that for an act to constitute grave misconduct, there must be proof of corruption, clear intent to violate the law, or flagrant disregard of established rules.

It found that these elements were not present in Dotillos' case. "After a careful review of the case records, We find the petitioner to be absolved of the charge of Grave Misconduct," the decision read.

The charges partly arose from the release of a P10,000 anniversary bonus to municipal employees on March 28, 2019, following the passage of Resolution No. 75 by the Borbon Sangguniang Bayan.

The Ombudsman had ruled that the bonus, totaling P570,000, was released without a proper appropriation ordinance as required under Section 344 of the Local Government Code.

However, the CA found that Dotillos acted in "good faith" when he authorized the release of the bonus.