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Saturday, March 25, 2006
'Ghost staff' issue haunts DavOr's board member
By Ben O. Tesiorna
DAVAO CITY -- For hiring "ghost employees," a Provincial Board member of Davao Oriental has to face estafa charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman, a development that could become a major issue in next year's elections.
Charged with five counts of estafa through falsification of public documents is Davao Oriental Provincial Board member Maria Consuelo "Bambi" T. Palma Gil, daughter of Governor Elena T. Palma Gil.
The Ombudsman also recommended the filing of five counts for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against the respondent.
Ombudsman Assistant Special Prosecutor Gat Marie Lubigan found probable cause to file charges against Maria Consuelo for hiring ghost employees identified as Norman Jacinto Doral, Sergio Andrade, Derrick Andrade, Chona Andrade, and Jerico Ebita.
Investigation showed that Maria Consuelo 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 discovered 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.
The 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.
Petitioner Rosie Toroba Bajenting accused Maria Consuelo and her mother of hiring ghost employees and collecting their salaries to the detriment of the government.
She claimed that Maria Consuelo was actually the one receiving the salaries of the ghost employees in the amount of P5,500 per month starting 2001.
Bajenting added that she was even instructed to deposit the salaries in Maria Consuelo's savings account at the Philippine National Bank-Mati branch.
Aside from the five employees, Bajenting claimed Maria Consuelo employed more ghost employees thereafter.
In January 2003, the ghost employees were reportedly transferred to the Office of the Governor.
The Ombudsman said Maria Consuelo'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."
The Ombudsman resolution, dated August 5, 2005, was approved by Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Gutierrez but was only received by the respondents this month. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
(March 25, 2006 issue)
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