Mayor defends self for terminating workers

TALISAY City Mayor Neil Lizares, through City Administrator Jose Jonathan Ealdama, stressed there was no irregularity in the termination of some employees of the City Government.

In a statement, Ealdama said Lizares ordered the inventory of the city employees after the mayor assumed office in July 2016.

It was found out that several employees were appointed during the period of February 16, 2016, to March 23, 2016, by the previous administration during the election ban on transfer.

“In addition to this blatant violation, all these employees did not report to the respective office where they were appointed and without any valid detail order.

These circumstances are clearly indicative of the scheme employed by the previous administration to accommodate his political allies,” the statement said.

This prompted Lizares to cancel their appointments.

Out of the 24 employees, 16 of them appealed to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) while the other re-applied in the City of Talisay.

It should be noted that there was no political motive involved given that some of the employees whose appointments were canceled by Mayor Lizares were his supporters, the statement said.

While the case is pending before the CSC regional office, its field office disapproved the appointments of the same employees because they were appointed during the Election ban on transfer.

During the pendency of the appeals, one of the 16 employees has filed a withdrawal of her case, instead she re-applied, and is now an employee of the City Hall.

The remaining 15 employees have filed two separate appeals – on the Notice issued by Lizares and another, on the act of the CSC Field Office on the disapproval of their appointments.

During the pendency of these cases, the City of Talisay was surprised to have received a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman filed by four former employees citing therein the same incidents and facts filed before the CSC.

In Lizares’ counter-affidavit, he pointed out that the case is lodged before the Ombudsman is but a retaliatory step by the employees, and a mere disruption of the administrative proceedings before the CSC.

On the motion for preventive suspension, Lizares opposed the motion given that the evidence of guilt on the case is not strong.

The complainants alleged that they were terminated without valid cause to create a vacancy and pave way for the Respondent’s supporters to be appointed.

The dismissed employees sought the suspension of Lizares for allegedly grave misconduct and violation of Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

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