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Thursday, May 22, 2003
Officials in Lapu ‘refuse’ to name relatives at CH
By Oscar C. Pineda
Sun.Staff Reforter
MOST relatives of Lapu-Lapu City’s elected officials employed at City Hall are not declared in the officials’ recent statements of assets and liabilities (SAL).
Officials concerned said their relatives are civil service eligible and qualified for the position.
Daughters and in-laws of these officials hold key positions either as chief of office, assistant chief, consultant or City Hall employee.
Vice Mayor Norma Patalinjug reportedly has the most number of family members working at City Hall, with seven, but only one was indicated in her SAL.
Mayor Arturo Radaza’s two sisters—Ida Rago and Amy Jessup—are tourism commissioners, but it could not be determined if the mayor declared them in his SAL.
City Hall personnel chief Federico Morabe gave Sun.Star a copy of all its elected officials’ SALs except for Radaza and Councilor Francisco Senerpida, which, Morabe said, they don’t have.
Blank
In most of the officials’ SALs, the space where they declare “relatives in government service” is either blank or has few names. This did not reflect their numerous relatives reportedly hired by City Hall.
Patalinjug’s sons Ramon and Michael are both consultants on youth affairs.
Her daughter Barbara Patalinjug-Dailing is also a consultant. Her other daughter Grace Patalinjug-Barcenas is administrative officer of the General Service’s office.
Her two daughters-in-law are also employed: Liza at the City Health Office and Clodel as one of the vice mayor’s staff members.
Clodel was the only family member declared in Patalinjug’s SAL.
The brother-in-law of Grace, Miguel Barcenas, is city consultant on information technology.
When sought for reaction, Patalinjug said the mayor hired her sons as his confidential staff members, not hers.
She said the rest of her family members are qualified for their position and are civil service eligibles.
Honest mistake
Councilor Damian Gomez’s daughter Maria Elena Caballes is the market head. Gomez explained it is an honest mistake.
He told his secretary to copy his past SAL and forgot to include his daughter who has just been hired by the city.
He assured, though, that his daughter is civil service qualified.
Councilor Nelson Yap’s wife, Ana Marie, is an official of the local civil registry. But Yap said his wife has her own SAL as she too is a government official.
No need
Councilor Cecilia Malingin only declared her daughter-in-law Grecilda in her SAL. But she did not include her 18-year-old grandson Rory Anthony Malingin Jr., who is with the City Engineer’s Office, and her other daughter-in-law Vicky, who is with the public market.
Malingin said she did not see any need to include Rory Anthony in her SAL for 2002 because her grandson started work only last March. The councilor said she still has to check if her daughter-in-law already filed her own SAL.
Councilor Alley Berdin declared his brother Engr. Evaristo Berdin in his SAL as consultant.
But he did not declare his daughter-in-law Evangeline who is working as a staff member at the Sanguniang Panlungsod.
Councilor Senerpida’s daughter-in-law Evangeline is working at the City Health Office, although it is not known if he declared it in his SAL.
Councilor Eugene Espedido’s brother, Mario, is the city’s consultant on cooperatives. The councilor said his brother is only a consultant, not a regular employee.
Sun.Star tried but failed to get the reaction of other officials. They could not be contacted last night.
(May 22, 2003 issue)
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