AFTER being charged with a P26,000-estafa case by a former subordinate, Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio now faces a case for absenteeism.

His subordinate, Director Rebendranath Uy, filed the complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Internal Affairs Board. Uy said Villa-Ignacio?s frequent absences have been hampering the work of other prosecutors.

Deputy Special Prosecutor Jesus Micael said that because of Villa-Ignacio?s absences, travel requests were unsigned, thus preventing some prosecutors from attending to out-of-town court cases.

Deputy Special Prosecutor Wendell Sulit disclosed that Villa-Ignacio?s daughter Monica also seldom reported for work in the same office. Sulit was assigned as officer-in-charge to take over the documents which were left unattended by Villa-Ignacio, the prosecutor who firmed up the plunder case against deposed President Joseph Estrada.

Sulit said Villa-Ignacio had been absent for 113 days and that he came to the office only to pick up his pay check and get his gas and phone allowance.

But Villa-Ignacio described the absenteeism complaint as another clear move to harass him. He accused Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez of masterminding the move to oust him.

?This is just part of the harassment and I wish they would just concentrate and focus more on the important matters in the office,? said Villa-Ignacio.

He said he had filed vacation and sick leaves for the days he did not report to the OSP. He said he did not use the official vehicle issued to him during those absences.

Villa-Ignacio maintained that Gutierrez wanted him out so she could complete their network. He did not elaborate, but said the estafa case filed against him by another subordinate was part of the campaign to villify him.

Villa-Ignacio said he would complete his term as head of the Office of the Special Prosecutor until Feb. 14, 2010. Macon Ramos Araneta