City admin: Ghost employees do not exist

THE Angeles City administrator welcomed Monday the execution of affidavits by relatives of several barangay officials claiming to be “ghost employees” of City Hall, even as he said the complainants may only be incriminating themselves.

“The complainants may indeed be ‘ghost employees’ because they are nowhere in our roster of job order (JO) workers and payrolls,” Dennis Albert Pamintuan said.

“As far as we are concerned, they do not exist,” he added.

He explained that all JOs are required to submit accomplishment reports and that daily time records were issued with official identification (ID) cards and personally signed the payrolls. 

“If these self-confessed ghost employees did not submit duly certified daily time records and regular monthly reports, do not have IDs and, more importantly, did not personally sign any payroll, then indeed they do not exist,” he said.

Pamintuan was reacting to a two-page-paid advertisement signed by five barangay council member claiming their relatives and friends are “ghost employees” of the City Hall. 

“Obviously, these people who are stooges of Congressman Tarzan Lazatin want to drag us to a media war on an issue that they have already filed before the Ombudsman. Since they already chose the legal arena, we are more inclined to face them there,” he said.

He said the statements, which he and Alex Cauguiran (chief of staff of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan), issued regarding the filing of counter-charges “are not bluffs or threats.”

“They have actually perjured themselves even more with the execution of affidavits based on false claims and spurious documents,” he added.

He said the mayor has issued directives that all false claims and lies should be confronted squarely and legally if necessary.

“With the affidavits, we now have firm legal basis to file perjury cases against these people,” he said.