GAPAN CITY, Nueva Ecija, April 7, 2011-City civil registrar Mr. Danilo Tan who was one of those being investigated by the grievance committee headed by Danny Padiernos for alleged involvement in the falsifying of the certificate of live birth of an eight-year-old boy and in the missing marriage contract of his parents has resigned from his post.
Mayor Christian Tinio revealed yesterday that Tan has formally tendered his irrevocable resignation ahead of the results of the investigation in the case of Davis Mandy Afable whose certificate of live birth was allegedly forged, adding that the said office was assumed in an acting capacity by budget officer Zenaida Azarcon.
Tan is reportedly a close ally of former three-term mayor Ernesto Natividad whose wife Baby lost to Tinio in last year’s mayoral elections.
“There is no politics in the investigation of Tan,” Tinio said, explaining that his creation of a grievance committee to look into the case meant the probe is not politically motivated. “That’s why the committee is there to investigate and I never meddle in their work,” he said.
Tinio furthered that on the recommendation of the grievance committee, he has preventively suspended Jocelyn Dimacale, the clerk of the office of the civil registrar suspected of falsifying Afable’s certificate of live birth.
Earlier, the Sangguniang Panlunsod (SP), presided over by Vice Mayor Rodel Matias, placed Dimacale under investigation following a complaint lodged by Afable’s mother Desiree Bonifacio of Barangay San Nicolas here. The SP later gave way to the grievance committee.
Afable was born last May 28, 2002 to Manuel Afable, an American citizen, and Bonifacio. Exactly a month later, the elder Afable and Bonifacio got married.
Bonifacio said in the process, Davis Mandy was “legitimated through subsequent marriage,” as borne by the couple’s application for marriage license and the certificate of live birth. The couple’s relationship, however, went sour and they later separated.
Bonifacio said sometime last year, she went to the National Statistics Office to request a copy of their authenticated marriage contract and Davis Mandy’s certificate of live birth. She said to her surprise, the copy of the marriage contract could not be found and the certificate of her son’s live birth was forged through false entries.
Attached in her certificate of affidavit was a copy of the certificate of live birth of Davis Mandy wherein the boy’s middle name and surname Afable were erased. The same document, however, clearly indicated that Davis Mandy was “legitimated” through the subsequent marriage of his parents on June 28, 2002.
Because of the forged certificate of live birth, Bonifacio said it would appear that Davis Mandy was an illegitimate child when in fact, his being a son of his Filipino mother and American father was already “legitimated” through their marriage.
In her complaint-affidavit, she also attached a copy of certificate of live birth signed by Tan and Dimacale dated July 5, 2002 showing that she and Afable got married. But in another certificate of live birth dated January 21, 2011 also signed by Tan and clerk 2 Arthur Merle, there were no entries opposite the lines “date and place of marriage of parents,” indicating they were never married at all.
Bonifacio said when she confronted Dimacale about the falsified certificate of live birth and the missing marriage contract, the latter admitted she pulled out the authentic documents on the request of the elder Afable.
Bonifacio said because of this anomaly, Davis Mandy was deprived of benefits due him as a legitimate child. She also complained that her ex-husband Manuel Afable was able to get married to another woman even if their marriage still exists and when there was no legal separation.
She said that the disappearance of her marriage contract and the forged certificate of live birth could not have been carried out if Afable did not conspire with officials of the city civil registrar’s office. (Jason de Asis)
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