Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 23) — The Supreme Court has affirmed the dismissal of the administrative and criminal charges filed against Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian over the deadly Kentex slipper factory fire back in 2015.
“In fine, the Court is convinced that the Sandiganbayan correctly dismissed the cases for lack of probable cause and the CA [Court of Appeals] correctly granted Mayor Gatchalian’s petition,” the high court said in a decision promulgated on February 10, but only made available Tuesday.
Two other city officers were also cleared of the charges filed against them.
Consolidated petitions were earlier filed by the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Office of the Special Prosecutor regarding the fire at the Kentex Manufacturing Corporation in Valenzuela City, which left 74 people dead and several others injured.
The SC said “Gatchalian had no hand in the issuance of the business permits of Kentex and all other business establishments during the time material to the case since the matter has been delegated to the BPLO [Business Permit and Licensing Office].”
Furthermore, the city government was only following existing guidelines under the Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, Ordinance No. 62 of government agencies concerned to streamline issuance of business permits, it said.
“It is beyond dispute that the streamlined procedure for the issuance of business permits allowed submission of the FSIC [Fire Safety Inspection Certificate] within a reasonable time after the issuance of business permits,” the SC added.
On the criminal case filed for reckless imprudence resulting to multiple homicide and multiple physical injuries, the court said “there is no direct causal relation between the death and the physical injuries sustained by the victims and the alleged negligence committed by respondents in issuing the business permits.”
