The Office of the Ombudsman issued a show-cause order to the outgoing Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to explain why she should not be cited for indirect contempt for her continuous disobedience of the six-month preventive suspension order against her which was issued on April 23 and took effect on April 29.

The Court of Appeals 17th Division granted Garcia's request for a temporary restraining order against the Ombudsman on May 15, which she used as her reason for not following the preventive suspension order during her compliance with the show cause order on May 27.

Based on the order of the Ombudsman dated June 10, the temporary restraining order, which was only issued on May 15, "does not have a retroactive application from April 29 to May 14," it stated.

This finding has led to the Ombudsman's decision to declare Garcia guilty of indirect contempt with a fine amounting to P30,000.

"Your defiance of the Ombudsman's PSO (preventive suspension order) is a clear case of resistance and disobedience to the lawful processes of the office," the order stated.

"Let this be a stern warning to the lawyers assisting you that as officers of the court, they have sworn to dedicate themselves to the maintenance of the rule of law, not undermine it," it added.

The Ombudsman filed a preventive suspension order to Garcia on April 23 due to a case filed against her for allegedly issuing a special quarry permit to a construction company for its desilting project in a protected area in the province. Kate Christian Ravelo/DMS