A TOP official of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Department (CDRRMD) resigned as the Cagayan de Oro City's weather monitoring chief.
Vergel Lago, the city’s former weather monitoring chief, said he resigned last February 10 due to "conflict" within the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD).
Lago accused CDRRMD officer-in-charge Allan Porcadilla of favoritism and of being "unfair."
Lago said some CDRRMD employees who “actually have nothing to do at work” and hence, "useless," have higher salaries than him.
"Internal conflict gyud ni siya, imbis unta nahimong department, taking into account, kanang unsay naa diha sa CDRRMD karon, akoy naghimo ana but then, sa pag-staffing na karon kay department naman lage unta siya, murag gipalabi nila ang ubang tao nga duol sa kasing-kasing, nabutang na nuon sa dako nga position nga wala man untay trabaho, walay gamit. Ang ako lang is ako ang daghan trabaho, unya mas dako pa sila ug sweldo nga walay trabaho (This is internal conflict. Instead of being a department, taking into account, I made what is CDRMMD now but in the staffing, they gave people close to them high positions without doing any work. I do a lot of work but they receive higher salaries)," he added.
Lago also accused Porcadilla of being ineffective in preparing the city for disasters, saying Porcadilla is often out of the office and only came when retired Colonel Verner Monsanto, CDRRMD's consultant, was around.
Lago served as the weather monitoring chief of the CDRRMD for the past four years, even before the office officially became a department of the City Government.
Lago also acted as the weather monitoring head and the office's spokesperson and lecturer.
Porcadilla, for his part, accused Lago of having an attitude problem, saying it was almost impossible for Lago to work with other persons because of his personality.
He also denied that he treated Lago unfairly and played favorites in the office, adding that Lago already fought with seven women in the office.
Porcadilla added that Lago was made to choose other positions with higher salary, particularly job order, but chose to stay in his current position for security of tenure.
After the City Council officially created the department last month, Porcadilla said eight positions were opened, such as department head, assistant department head, Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (LDRRMO) I and II, among others.
Porcadilla said the position of LDRRMO II, with a salary grade 15, was offered to Lago.
"Pero dili mi kasabot sa iya nganung ingana iyang attitude, so kung muingon siya nga naay gadawat ug sweldo nga way trabaho, tanan man tawon tao diha naay trabaho, lain-lain lang ug function (But we don't know why his attitude is like that. So if he says some are receiving salaries without doing any work, well all people are working there. They just have different functions)," Porcadilla said.
Porcadilla said Lago didn't know how to teach his subordinates and he engaged into fights with the people he worked with.
He said he had never, for once, reprimanded Lago despite his “problematic” attitude.
He also denied that his team failed and neglected to prepare for disasters.
Porcadilla said with Lago’s resignation, his team lost a valuable person but said all of Lago’s skills can be learned.
Engineer Cindy Sabanal, a CDRRMD employee, has replaced Lago as the weather monitoring chief.
He said they requested Lago to leave on February 28 so that he could still turnover his duties but Lago left in a huff last February 10.
For Lago, he said he left because "he cannot anymore take the bad treatment."
"Nihangyo si Colonel Monsanto nga February 28 na pero dili na nako maagwanta nga makita si Porcadilla (Colonel Monsanto pleaded me to leave on February 28 but I can't take seeing Porcadilla)," Lago said.