Thursday, October 19, 2006 Mayor could be suspended like Binay By Erwin Ambo S. Delilan
INSPIRED by the present case of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, who was ordered suspended for his alleged hiring of ghost employees, Barangay 15 chief Anjo Ayco will be filing a criminal complaint some Bacolod City Government officials, including Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
The hiring of ghost employees during the rehabilitation, dredging, and declogging of the Maupay Creek last year was similar to what happened in Makati, Ayco said.
But City Legal Officer Allan Zamora simply laughed off Ayco's statement, saying it would be unlikely for Leonardia to suffer a fate similar to that of Binay.
Zamora said that his office had already suspended and admonished the persons found to be responsible for the hiring of ghost and fictitious workers.
In a telephone interview Wednesday night, Captain Anjo Ayco said he will file both administrative and criminal charges against City Engineer Joel Locsin, foreman Raymund Dumdum, councilman Lemon Lapore, officers of the City Cash Division of the City Treasurer's Office, and Mayor Leonardia.
The controversy centered on the P56,000 cash disbursement for the wages of the Maupay creek workers, which the Commission on Audit (COA) considered as irregular.
The COA also noted that one of the 15 workers was already dead while the 14 others were fictitious.
Confirmed dead was a certain Francisco Bajador, who was confirmed to have died on July 11, 2005.
However, his name appeared on the payroll of the CEO on October of the same year and was recorded as having received P4,000.
The COA also found that the names Sebastian Gestosani, Mark Lapore, Rey Baldomar, Jay Divinagracia, Jamir Yamson, Resty Makilan, Gerald Araneta, Christopher Anlap, Peejay Adolfo, Mon Stephen Adolfo and Mars Cioco were fictitious.
Sun.Star Bacolod visited Tuesday the Burgos Public Cemetery. Bajador's relatives pointed to the tomb where his body was laid.
Asked if there's a possibility that Leonardia could also be suspended like Mayor Binay, Ayco said, "There is...but it's up to the DILG to decide on our complaints to be filed later."
Uncooperative
Zamora was not surprised by Ayco's statement. "We're already expecting that because ever since, Captain Ayco never cooperated with our investigating team regarding the matter," he said.
He said that he invited Ayco several times to cooperate in the investigation but the latter only "snubbed" him.
Mayor Leonardia expressed the same sentiment when interviewed by GMA 7's "Reporter's Notebook" program aired Wednesday night.
Zamora said that his office had already suspended and admonished persons found to be responsible on the hiring of ghost and fictitious workers.
Suspended for three months without pay last year were Locsin and Dumdum. City Engineer Loreto Dilag was admonished.
But if Ayco will really push his plan to file a complaint against Mayor Leonardia, Zamora said they will face it.
Ayco, however, said that suspension and admonishment are not enough penalties for those who were found guilty.
Trauma
Meanwhile, Locsin admitted wrongdoing but stressed that he had already served his suspension order.
"Honest to goodness, I never had a hand on the hiring of these questionable workers because it was Lapore and Dumdum who hired them and we just prepared the payroll," he explained.
Lapore, also in an interview with Reporter's Notebook, lamented that because of this brouhaha, his wife and children were already traumatized.
The COA report submitted to Leonardia's office last week also cited Marianne Bantigue, a terminated employee of the City Engineer's Office, as the one who got the P56,000 payroll money from the Cash Division.
Bantigue can no longer be found for comment.
The COA report also noted that the Cash Division did not require Bantigue to submit a letter of authority or a power of attorney that would have legalized her receipt of payment in behalf of the payees.
Other irregularities
Also, COA noted no separation of powers and duties in the hiring, preparation of work order, timekeeping and preparation of payroll.
This scenario, it reported, failed to provide for an independent check and balance by another department or office on the work of the CEO - a division that has a complete control on the hiring, preparation of the work order, timekeeping, preparation of payroll, and releasing payment to the laborers.
The investigation report has already been forwarded to the Regional Legal and Adjudication Office for proper adjudication.
It was recommended that Mayor Leonardia, together with the department heads concerned, review and install internal control systems to provide check and balance and correct the practice of giving the CEO complete control in hiring laborers, work order and payroll preparations, and payment of wages.
The mayor should also reportedly assign the preparation of all job orders of casual employees to the Personnel Division of the Human Resource department, which can establish the identities of those that are to be hired and thus prevent the hiring of "ghost" employees.
To the disbursing officers, COA asked them to strictly comply with the requirements of Sections 194 and 195 of the GAAM.
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