ALLEGATIONS that the complainant was “of loose morals” and only out to get him failed to convince the Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas, which ordered lawyer Romeo Escan-dor’s dismissal from public service.
In a 19-page decision dated March 21, 2007, Graft Investigator Cynthia Maturin-Sibi pointed out that Escan-dor had “authority, supervision, influence and moral ascendancy” over the complainant Christine (real name withheld), who accused him of sexual harassment from 1999 to 2003.
Escandor was then the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) 7 regional director. He is now the director of Neda 5.
Christine was then a contractual employee of Neda 7, working under the Unicef-assisted Fifth Country Program for Children. She resigned in 2003.
She had complained in 2004 about Escandor’s alleged sexual advances, citing incidents when the public official allegedly touched, groped or kissed her and sent her suggestive text messages.
At one point, Christine alleged, the regional director admitted that what he was doing was harassment but that he was “sure of his love for her.”
Escandor, however, countered that it was Christine who seduced him and sent him text messages that were “outright invitations to sex.”
He called the complaint “pure fiction cleverly written to prove sexual harassment.”
The ombudsman disagreed. “If complainant (was) even only half as lewd as respondent pictures her to be, such a reputation would not have remained a secret to her co-employees, the members of the opposite sex particularly,” Sibi said in her ruling.
The ruling applied to both the administrative and criminal charges against Escandor.
Tanodbayan Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez approved Sibi’s findings on June 14, 2007.
Escandor, in his counter-affidavit, said that the complaint was Christine’s way of avenging her husband, who faced a number of administrative charges before the Civil Service Commission, courtesy of Escandor.
Christine, however, said she had already confided to her officemates before Escandor filed the charges against her husband.
The ombudsman found sufficient evidence to rule that Escandor was guilty of grave misconduct, handing him the penalty of dismissal from service in the administrative case.
For the criminal case, a charge of sexual harassment was filed against Escandor before the Sandiganbayan last July 17. (JGA)
