By CESAR JOLITO III

La Castellana Vice Mayor Alme Rhummyla Mangilimutan is planning to file cyber libel charges against her accuser after the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed all administrative and criminal complaints lodged against her for lack of evidence.

“Justice has prevailed. The truth always comes out. I will not allow lies and defamation to go unpunished,” Mangilimutan said, confirming her plan to pursue multiple cyber libel cases against Elvin dela Fuente and other individuals allegedly involved in spreading false accusations online.

In a resolution released on Saturday, October 18, the Ombudsman junked the complaints filed by Dela Fuente, who had accused Mangilimutan of grave misconduct and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

The Ombudsman found “no substantial evidence and probable cause” to support the claims.

Mangilimutan, who presented a copy of the resolution to the media, said the dismissal vindicates her from what she described as “politically motivated harassment.”

The dismissed complaint, filed in August 2024, alleged that two municipal job order workers under La Castellana’s Clean and Green Program — Maricel Madrigal and Jocelyn Magbanua — were also serving as the vice mayor’s household helpers.

However, the Ombudsman’s investigation concluded that there was no proof that the two were household employees. Instead, it found that they only rendered occasional personal services — such as laundry and massage — to Mangilimutan on weekends between 2018 and 2020, for which they were personally compensated.

Mangilimutan said the Ombudsman’s ruling confirms her long-standing claim that the case was “built on fabricated statements” aimed at tarnishing her reputation.

“These accusations were part of a political smear campaign, and I’m ready to take legal action against those who used social media to destroy my name,” she added./CJ, WDJ