THE Civil Service Commission (CSC) has struck down the move of former Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 chief Arnel Tancinco to reassign a subordinate to the agency’s extension office in Medellin.
Editha Luzano, CSC 7 acting director, granted the appeal of Melva Vasquez, administrative officer of LTO-Cebu City district office, to be restored to her original station.
“A reassignment to a far-flung area more than one hundred kilometers away from her residence will cause significant financial dislocation, which is frowned upon by the rules as it violates an employee’s constitutional right security of tenure,” read Luzano’s decision.
In an office order dated June 6, 2016, Tancinco reassigned Vasquez to the LTO 7 extension office in Medellin, Cebu “in the best interest of the service.”
But Vasquez, of Barangay Lawaan 1, Talisay City, appealed her reassignment to the CSC, arguing that her reassignment was “whimsical and capricious.”
Vasquez said that Tancinco wanted to get back at her after she joined other employees in signing a complaint against the latter.
She said her reassignment constitutes constructive dismissal and was issued with grave abuse of authority and harassment.
In the decision, Luzano, CSC 7 acting director, said the agency will protect the employee’s interest when his reassignment is seen as a ploy to dismiss a permanent employee from the service.
“Needless to say, the law is not intended as a convenient shield for the appointing authority to harass or oppress a subordinate on the pretext of advancing and promoting public interest,” said Luzano.
Luzano declared as invalid Tancinco’s reassignment order and directed Alita Pulga, acting LTO 7 director, to restore Vasquez to her original station in the LTO-Cebu City district office.