The Office of the Ombudsman ordered on Thursday, November 12, the six-month preventive suspension of Mayor Jose Voltaire Ricafrente of Rosario, Cavite, over his alleged engagement in gambling activities at a casino in Bacolod City.
The order stemmed from a complaint filed by the Field Investigation Office (FIO) of the Office of the Ombudsman, which found that Ricafrente, along with four companions, entered the casino at a hotel on March 14, 2026.
The Rosario mayor allegedly played at a gaming table with P30,000 worth of casino chips and won P10,000 before leaving the casino.
Under Presidential Decree No. 1869 or the PAGCOR Charter and Memorandum Circular No. 6 s. 2016, government personnel are strictly prohibited from entering, staying, or playing in casinos.
“This Office finds sufficient grounds for the issuance of an Order for Preventive Suspension against respondent Municipal Mayor Jose Voltaire Ricafrente, Municipality of Rosario, Province of Cavite, considering that there is strong evidence showing his guilt; the charges against him for Grave Misconduct and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service may warrant his removal from the service,” the six-page order stated.
Ricafrente will be preventively suspended without pay pending the resolution of the administrative charges against him.
The Ombudsman said a preventive suspension is not a penalty but serves as a measure to guarantee an…
