Sunday, May 07, 2006
DavOr lawmaker ordered to step down
By Ben O. Tesiorna
THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) issued a memorandum mandating a provincial board member of Davao Oriental to immediately vacate her post and abide by the Ombudsman dismissal order issued two years ago.
In a memorandum order dated April 18, 2006, DILG Undersecretary Wencelito Andanar ordered board member Ma. Consuelo Palma Gil to immediately "cease and desist from exercising the power, duties and responsibilities as member of the Office of the Provincial Board."
DILG Regional Director Rodolfo Razul was tasked to serve the order.
The Office of the Vice Governor of Davao Oriental is also enjoined "to ensure compliance by the party to the Ombudsman order" dated November 13, 2003 and approved July 20, 2005 dismissing Gil from her office for hiring ghost employees.
The young Gil, daughter of Governor Ma. Elena Palma Gil, was charged with administrative and criminal cases for hiring ghost employees identified as Norman Jacinto Doral, Sergio Andrade, Derrick Andrade, Chona Andrade, and Jerico Ebita.
Investigation showed that Gil recommended the hiring of five contractual employees and approved accomplishment reports of the same employees as well as their daily time records when in fact they had not rendered any service to the government.
The Ombudsman learned that Doral was preparing for the bar examinations while Sergio and Derrick were full time students of the University of Mindanao at the time of their supposed employment.
Ombudsman also noted that the daily time records submitted by the concerned employees were not individually prepared as evidenced by the same or similar strokes of the handwritings of the entries.
Blank spaces for the date of certification were also not filled up when in the ordinary course of official business every employee submitting his or her daily time record would always indicate the date.
In January 2003, the ghost employees were reportedly transferred to the Office of the Governor.
The Ombudsman said Gil's "silence and failure to specifically deny Bajenting's allegation that she got the salaries of the ghost employees is detrimental to her cause."
The Ombudsman, however, did not find sufficient cause for the filing of the same charges against the governor.
Ombudsman also recommended further preliminary investigations against the five ghost employees "for them to be charged as co-conspirators of board member Palma Gil."
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (May 7, 2006 issue)
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