THE recent incident involving some employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculture (OPA) should be a lesson for employees of the Provincial Government, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Monday, August 8, 2022.

"Our governor demands a high degree of accountability from our public officers (and) we should be responsible for our government properties especially now that we are implementing austerity measures to maximize the resources of the government," he said.

Nellas said they are currently consolidating the replies of the respondents.

"We are going to release our findings within 20 days or until the end of August," he also said, adding that they will determine if we will proceed with filing of formal charges against the respondents.

The Provincial Legal Office will check on the severity of the penalty if there is a need for a preventative suspension.

Asked about the reply of the concerned employees, Nellas described it as "admission with justification" as there was an official from the City Agriculture Office of Victorias City who invited them.

The case stems from the show cause order issued by Nellas to five employees of the OPA for allegedly having a drinking session while on official travel.

A formal complaint for misuse of government property and grave misconduct was filed by a Capitol employee who serviced them while on official travel to Victorias City on July 15, 2022.

The complainant, a driver, claimed that he waited for the respondents until 8 p.m. but was later informed that they were at a restaurant allegedly having a drinking session.

The senior employee allegedly uttered bad words against the driver when he informed them that he waited for them, he said.