Tuesday, October 31, 2006 Lawyer blows top in MCWD meeting
LAWYER Alex Tolentino yesterday denied challenging a colleague at the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) to a fistfight and criticized the Sun.Star Cebu column of Bobby Nalzaro stating as if it was a fact.
The issue was on the private practice of Tolentino and as the legal counsel of MCWD.
“Why should I challenge anyone to a fistfight just because of that?” Tolentino told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview.
He explained that MCWD resolution 101-99 during the stint of then MCWD chairman Ruben Almendras states that MCWD lawyers are allowed “limited” private practice.
Tolentino is president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City chapter.
In an interview over radio dyLA yesterday morning MCWD corporate planning department chief Lazaro Salvacion admitted Tolen-tino challenged him to a fistfight during their execom meeting last Sept. 19.
Salvacion, however, did not say what triggered the outburst, saying it was natural in any organization, “whose members treat each other like a family,” to have disagreements.
He also refused to discuss the incident further, saying it was something that shouldn’t have been leaked to the media in the first place.
Civil Service Commission (CSC) 7 Director David Cabanag Jr. said in a separate interview that government workers can engage in private practice provided that they should have a written authorization from their head of office.
Tolentino, meanwhile, has been asked to explain why he reacted the way he did in a meeting with MCWD managers.
MCWD General Manager Armando Paredes said he issued the order to find out why Tolentino, who is MCWD legal department manager, “seemed emotional over the plan” to merge the environment and water resources department (EWRD) of the water district with the Knowledge Center, a section created with the phaseout of the Dutch Government-funded Water Remind Project.
Tolentino was EWRD manager before he assumed as chief of the MCWD legal department last Sept. 16.
Paredes said Tolentino apologized to him and Salvacion after the incident.
He said the report that Tolentino threw a glass of water at Salvacion is not true.
He said Tolentino was gesturing with his hands during the meeting when he hit and toppled a glass of water nearby. The water was spilled on another MCWD official, not Salvacion.
Paredes’ order gave Tolentino until Friday to submit an explanation.
Before the incident, Tolentino had been directed to take over the legal department, which was then headed by lawyer Frank Pepito.
“That was part of a long-planned rotation of managers. It is one way to develop our managers, expose them to other aspects (of the water district)…as long as they have the qualification,” Paredes explained.
The rotation involving Tolentino and Pepito was take effect last Oct. 16, but it was enforced on Sept. 16 when Pepito became sick.
Paredes said Tolentino’s transfer has nothing to do with the incident, adding that another batch of managers will also be rotated January of next year under the same scheme.
The merger of EWRD and Knowledge Center is not yet final and still needs the approval of the Department of Budget Management.
Settled
Paredes admitted, though, that under the present plan, Salvacion “would most likely head” the merged department to be called, Water Resources Knowledge Center.
In a separate interview, Tolentino said that everything has been settled and that he already apologized.
“I have never been charged or convicted of any administrative case,” said Tolentino, referring to his 17 years as MCWD employee and his more than 25 years in government service.
He also lamented Nalzaro’s column calling him a “great pretender” and a person with “bad character,” saying the issue was an “internal affair” and the media have nothing to with it.
Tolentino felt aggrieved that the column came out without his side. (LAP/JGA/RCT)
