Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Collector goes to CA to put off relocation
District Collector Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang not only stayed yesterday as head of the Bureau of Customs’ Cebu Port, but went to court to ensure she does not get transferred.
Mangaoang, through lawyer Oliveros Kintanar, filed a petition asking the Court of Appeals (CA) to annul the order that sought
her transfer from Cebu to Iloilo.
That order violates Executive Order 133, which requires the finance secretary’s approval of all district collectors’ transfers, Mangaoang said in her petition.
It also goes against Civil Service rules that uphold qualifications and merit as the top considerations in deciding on personnel assignments, she reportedly said.
A highly placed source said the CA issued yesterday afternoon a 60-day temporary restraining order (TRO) that will stop Mangaoang’s transfer. As the information came after government office hours, there was no way to confirm the TRO’s issuance.
It was Acting Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales, in an order last March 31, who ordered 20 district collectors and other senior customs officials to take on new assignments.
Morales designated Grace Caringal, acting director of the Port of Subic, to take over the top position in Cebu. Mangaoang was supposed to report to Iloilo.
The transfers were expected to take effect yesterday.
But last Monday, Mangaoang announced that officer-in-charge Alexander Arevalo has told her to stay put. (Morales was in Beijing to attend a convention.)
“I thank Cebu’s leaders and the Cebuanos in general for supporting me. I will not fail their expectations of good government,” said Mangaoang, who assumed as Cebu collector in mid-2005.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 5, 2006 issue)
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