CA affirms Coast Guard officials' suspension

Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed a decision of the Office of the Ombudsman finding two Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) officers administratively liable for the sinking of a motor tanker off the coast of Guimaras Island, spilling an unknown but substantial quantity of bunker oil.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Leoncia Real-Dimagiba and concurred in by Associate Justices Ramon Garcia and Jhosef Lopez, the CA’s 15th Division found no reversible error in the decision and joint order of the Ombudsman and denied a petition for review of Commodore Ramon Reblora and Lt. Commodore Lazaro Ernesto Valdez Jr. for lack of merit.