PT: OBO officer-in-charge Isidro Sun back to work after suspension
Carla N. Cañet
ENGINEER Isidro Sun, suspended officer-in-charge of the Office of the Building Official (OBO) in Bacolod City, will return to work on July 2, City Legal Officer Rayfrando Diaz II said.
Sun will be reinstated by virtue of the full service of his suspension of six months and one day ordered by the Office of the Ombudsman.
This was manifested by the lawyer of the Ombudsman during the hearing before the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Diaz said.
Sun and building inspector Jose Maria Makilan were ordered suspended without pay late last year based on the complaints filed against them by four engineers of OBO.
Complaints for violation of the Revised Penal Code and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and grave misconduct and acts prejudicial to the interest of the City of Bacolod were filed against Sun and Makilan before the Ombudsman Visayas on October 30.
Filed by Sharon Gayanelo, Cary Memoria, and Glenda Pajes, in-charge of the OBO Architectural Section, Structural Section, and Plumbing and Sanitary Section, respectively, the complaints involved the application of Mainstream Business Inc. with the OBO for a business permit for the expansion of Building B of the North Wing of SM City Bacolod.
Criminal charges were also filed against Sun and Makilan before the RTC for violation of Paragraph 2, Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code, when they allegedly falsified a computation sheet for the building permit fees of Mainstream, “by causing it to appear that we participated in re-processing and re-computing the building permit fees when in fact we did not,” the complainants said.
They also claimed that because of the respondents’ erroneous and alleged falsified computation sheet, Bacolod City suffered injury amounting to P698,500.
Diaz said Mayor Monico Puentevella will have to weigh who should be retained as head of the OBO.
“If he is happy with the services of Ephraim Hechanova, I think he will be retained. If not, we will see,” he said. “But first and foremost, Sun has to be reinstated from his suspension.”
For his part, Sun said he has not yet received a communication regarding his reinstatement, but he admitted that he is excited to return to work on July 2 since he has not been receiving his salary.
He said that Makilan will also be reinstated since both of them were meted the same sanction.
Since they did not have salary for six months, they had to find ways to provide for their families, and by God’s grace, they were able to survive, Sun added.(CNC)