Suspension of officials from Customs affirmed

Monday, January 23, 2012

THE anti-graft office has affirmed its decision suspending two personnel of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Lapu-Lapu City for simple neglect of duty.

Graft investigator Amy Rose Soler-Rellin said their decision suspending Jane Maye, former customs operations officer, and Carilo Arong, BOC warehouse personnel, for three months without pay stays.

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But since Maye already retired from government service, Rellin converted her suspension to a fine equivalent to three months salary.

The decision of the ombudsman on the complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 was not immediately available to media.

However, the anti-graft office’s order said the customs employees were found guilty of neglect of duty for failure to comply with the rules in the conduct of office
inventory.

Maye filed a motion for reconsideration and sought the conversion of her three-month suspension to a fine, which was granted by the ombudsman. 

Maye, who left the government service on Feb. 18, 2011, was ordered to pay a fine equivalent to a three months salary.

Arong, on the other hand, asked to reduce his suspension from three months to one month only, or a fine of P5,000. He said it was his first time to commit such offense and that his years of service in government were unblemished.

But graft investigator Rellin said being a first offender does not absolve Arong from civil liability. She said the defenses of it being a first offense and length of unblemished government service are not ground for reconsideration or reduction of penalty.

“Length of service is not a magic word that, once invoked, will automatically be considered as a mitigating circumstance in favor of the party invoking it,” said Rellin.

Being a member of an inventory team, Rellin said Arong should have “conscientiously” observed his duty during the inventory.

“However, instead of being faithful in the observance of the rules pertaining to the conuct of inventory, Arong admitted having acquiesced to the other team members’ decision to just copy the figures in the past inventory,” said Rellin.

The boxes containing the wristwatches, the ombudsman said, were not even opened yet, but Arong signed the inventory and made it appeared that an inventory was conducted.