PORAC, Pampanga – Dismissed and re-electionist Mayor Jing Capil has deplored the excessive “political maneuverings” of his political opponents noting the “truth shall set me free.”
Despite the dismissed order by the Office of the Ombudsman, Capil said he will continue to seek re-election for Porac mayor amid strong support from the townfolks with 80,000 registered voters and voter turnout of around 65,000 voters.
The mayor said that at least 80 percent of these voters is still backing his re-election.
“Tuloy po ang ating kandidatura. Wala po tayong ninakaw na pera sa kaban ng bayan. Malinis po ang aking panunungkulan at malaki po ang ipinagbago ng Porac. “Vox populi, vox dei”. The voice of the people is the voice of God,” Capil said.
On April 4, 2025, the Ombudsman has dismissed Capil for “gross neglect of duty” while Vice Mayor Francis Tamayo and the rest of the councilors were however cleared.
Tamayo has recently assumed as acting Mayor of Porac after the 6-month suspension ended last April 9.
“I was singled out. This is clearly a political persecution,” Capil said.
“I did not do this alone, there are department heads who should had done their work properly and effectively. I am not the one doing assessment of businesses or checking if their documents are in order,’ he added.
Capil was specifically referring to Porac Business Permit and Licensing Office Emerald Vital who he said was the one who assess fees and taxes in the first class municipality.
With regards in the OMB Decision, Vital said she was part of the inspection team that recommended the revocation of Lucky South 99’s permit because it was “operating as a POGO without proper authority.”
Capil has denied that Vital made a recommendation saying he never met with her.
“Malungkot ako kasi pare-pareho lang naman kami ng Ebidensya pero masakit man sabihin, singled out ako. Nakapaghain naman kami ng sapat na ebidensya,” according to Capil.
“Itong mga specific na statements na ito lalo na ni Vice Mayor Charlie at Emerald, meron po kaming naipresent na ebidensya na hindi po ito totoo. Mga nakakarimarim na kasinungalingan ang kanilang pahayag sa Ombudsman hearing na nakakalungkot yan pa ang kinatigan para madiin lang ako sa kasinungalingan. Si Vice Charlie ikaw na mismo ang lumapit sakin at alam mo ang totoo,” Capil said.
“Bagamat ganyan, nalulugod din ako lalo ang mga kasama kong Konsehal sa Team Bayung Porac na napawalang sala dahil apektado sila ng 6 na buwan na di sila nabigayan ng pagkakataon na manilbihan.
“On appeal na po ang hatol ko, umaasa po kami na mabibigyan ng Ibang evaluation ang aming defenses sa appeal. Sa akin naman hindi naman po kami nagbabago ng inihaing ebidensya. Nanalangin at umaasa po ako na sa apila ay katigan ng korte ang aming mga pepensa na wala naman po akong pagkakasala sa Pogo na yan na nagsimula naman na lehitimong Negosyo,” Capil said.
Capil has reiterated that it was PAGCOR that allowed Lucky South 99 to operate based on the “Letter of No Objection” (LONO) which stated that it will operate as a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
PAGCOR, which monitored and collected taxes in the Porac POGO did not tell the Porac LGU to change the LONO into a POGO operations.
Capil has questioned the recommendation of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to the Ombudsman noting it “erred” when a deceased Porac councilor was also suspended for six months.
In a suspension order approved last October 7, 2024, the Office of the Ombudsman had also meted a suspension order against the late Councilor Regin Clarete, who died in May 2023, almost over a year before the suspension order.
Clarete was replaced by his sister Myla Clarete, who served as acting Porac Mayor during the time that Capil was serving his six-month suspension.
“It was clear there had been no due diligence in the suspension order,” said Capil.
Capil has condemned the “excessive political machinations” of his “lameduck” political opponents who had been throwing baseless brickbats against him.
“Nirerespeto po natin ang desisyon ng Ombudsman. Tayo po ay mag aapela sa Court of Appeals at maari din po itong idulog hanggang sa Supreme Court. This would be a long-drawn out legal battle. In the meantime po, tuloy po ang ating kandıdatura sa pagka mayor at hindi ko po tatalikuran ang mga Poraquenos na patuloy na sumusuporta sa akin,” according to Capil.
Capil had been linked to the operations of the Lucky South 99, a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) which was then operating in Porac, Pampanga.
POGOs had been allowed to operate legally during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte and had been banned by President Ferdinand Marcos amid its social costs.
It was the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Operations (PAGCOR) who monitored and collected taxes at the Porac POGO during the time.
The QUADCOM probing the involvement of public officials into the operations of POGO in the country has also cleared Capil, Vice Mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo and Councilors Rafael Canlapan, Adrian Carreon, Essel Joy David, John Nuevy Venzon, of any “involvement nor any wrongdoing.”
In a certification issued on February 11, 2025, and signed by Rep. Robert Ace S. Barbers (2nd District—Surigao del Norte), and lead chairman of the QUADCOM, it said, “the QUADCOM has no pending issues with Mayor Jaime V. Capil of the Municipality of Porac, province of Pampanga.”
“In so far as our exhaustive investigations done in aid of legislation regarding with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO), being undertaken by the Joint Committee in the House of Representatives, especially on illegal POGO operations in Porac, Pampanga, more particularly on the illegal operations of Lucky South 99, we found no involvement whatsoever nor any wrongdoing committed by Mayor Jaime V. Capil.” said in QUADCOM certification.
