MANILA. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday revealed that more suspension and dismissal orders may be served on local government executives before the end of the election season.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said that aside from suspension and dismissal orders already served by the DILG, he is awaiting Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez's ruling on cases filed against hundreds of other local officials.

"Sa kaalaman namin, nagpahayag yung Ombudsman's Office na may dalawang daang kaso pa na nakabinbin sa mga local officials na may kinalaman sa graft and corruption (As far as we know, the office of the Ombudsman announced that some 200 cases involving graft and corruption against local officials remain pending)," he said.

Puno reiterated that graft and corruption cases are not covered by the provision in the Omnibus Election Code that prevents the suspension of elected officials during an election season.

"Baka iniisip nila na covered ng election ban so pinapaalalahanan ko sila lahat na hindi covered ng election ban 'yung graft and corruption cases (Some local officials might think that their cases are covered by the election ban so I'm reminding them all that graft and corruption cases are not covered by the ban)," he said.

"Kung malaman namin kung sinong 200 ito, susulatan pa namin sila. Sasabihin namin sagutin ninyo yung mga kaso ninyo dahil hindi covered ng election ban ito (Once we find out who these 200 officials are, we will write to them. We will tell them to answer the charges filed against them because these are not covered by the election ban)," he added.

Earlier this week, which marked the start of the 2007 election season, the DILG enforced dismissal orders on Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas and Jaen, Nueva Ecija Mayor Antonio Esquivel. Tupas's dismissal stemmed from an irregular funding of a board members' convention that did not have an appropriation from the provincial government. The governor, however, was able to obtain a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals. Esquivel's case was in connection with the dismissal of three municipal employees, who were certified as eligible by the Civil Service Commission.

The Ombudsman had also ordered the DILG to implement a six-month preventive suspension order on Batangas Gov. Armando Sanchez over a multi-million peso computerization contract that he allegedly awarded to a relative. Like his counterpart in Iloilo, Sanchez was also able to obtain a TRO from the appellate court.