DSWD to probe forging of 2 workers' signature

DAVAO CITY - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao vowed to probe the alleged forging of signatures of two of the 12 workers hired to construct bunkhouses in Compostela Valley.

Carmela Duron, DSWD information officer, said that in behalf of DSWD-Davao Director Prescilla Razon, they will look into the allegations hurled against the department.

"Mao lang sa na among mahatag na statement sa karon (This is the only statement that we can give as of the moment)," Duron told Sun.Star Davao over the phone.

In an interview Tuesday at their residence in Compostela town, Compostela Valley, Romulo Serot, 50, and his son Remly denied receiving P4,200 each from the DSWD, saying they only got P300 and P600.

Romulo was hired by the department to work as a carpenter, while Remly as a laborer.

As a carpenter, Romulo was promised P300 per day, while his son would receive P200 per day.

Romulo said he worked but only for a day because the owner of the tools he used took the hammer and saw back.

He said the one who recruited him wanted him back as a carpenter but he declined since he does not have any more tools.

"I told them to just get the services of my child as laborer, but they said my son is too young to be hired as a carpenter, but they agreed to take him in as a laborer," he said in the vernacular.

Thus, for the one day work he did, he got P300, while his son who worked three days got P600.

On the contrary, based on a copy of a record from the DSWD obtained by Nico Alconaba of Inquirer, it revealed that both the father and the son signed the document stating that they worked for 12 days (from December 11 to December 22, 2012) with a rate of P350 per day each; P50 more than what Romulo received for a day's work.

Ten others were listed, three laborers (P200 per day each), a foreman (P400 per day) and another six carpenters (P350 per day each). All of them had signatures affixed to their names, noting that they worked for a total of 12 days.

"This record lies because I only worked for one day and my son only worked for three days," Romulo said.

He also pointed out that the signature on the DSWD document is forged because he only asked his son to claim his payment.

Remly, on the other hand, said he could not recall signing any document when he got their wages.

He said they were asked to sign a paper, but this was not the document shown.

"We did not work for those days being claimed on record, we did not collect that amount," he said.

The Serots earlier said that they wanted DSWD to clarify things. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)