Sunday, May 11, 2008 Terminated employee to expose more grafters By Edmund B. Sestoso
A CITY hall employee warned that she will be exposing identities of more department heads who are allegedly involved in some anomalies.
Lorna Ceriales, after learning that she will no longer be working in City hall after her contract expired last April 30, said she has in her possession several documents to prove irregularities and anomalies.
But Mayor Agustin Perdices, according to Human Resource Personnel Officer Ruperto Tenorio, was happy about it and encouraged Ceriales instead to come forward and bare more grafters at the local government unit.
Members of the City Council during an inquiry into the alleged controversy involving Ceriales and City Social Welfare Officer chief Marina Mendoza recently invited the two officials to shed some light on the issue in the council's regular session. Tenorio was also invited to come along.
Mendoza was not able to show up though as she had to leave for the United States for an official business.
Tenorio explained that when Ceriales charged some City Hall executives to be allegedly engaged in anomalies and irregularities, Mayor Perdices was "happy over it."
Tenorio however denied allegations that Ceriales was terminated.
He explained that Ceriales's contract was simply not renewed after it ended, as City Hall no longer needs her services. He further explained that this was stipulated in the contract.
Tenorio also said that he inquired from the different offices where Ceriales used to be part of but the department heads could no longer accommodate her. This includes the local Internal Audit Office.
He confirmed that the mayor has issued the challenge.
According to him, Mayor Perdices said if the charges made by Ceriales against some department heads were true, she will be rewarded by accommodating him at his own office.
Ceriales whose contract has expired last April 30 continues to report at the City Social Welfare Development Office as she has not received her termination paper, which she believes should be signed by Mayor Perdices himself.
City Legal Officer Attorney Neil Ray Lagahit in the same regular session stressed that Ceriales was never terminated but her contract merely expired.
The same is true with two other casual employees, one from the traffic management office and the other from the city library, whose contracts were not renewed due to poor performance.
Vice Mayor Woodrow Maquiling and Councilor Nilo Sayson, members of the so-called "conscience bloc" at the City Council said they find it unfair for an employee like Ceriales, who has served for 14 years, to no longer be rehired.
