THE Iloilo City Government will conduct a fact-finding investigation on the “alleged anomalies” at the Iloilo City Community College (ICCC).
In a letter signed by the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas Director Pio Dargantes addressed to Mayor Jose Espinosa III, they are requesting the city government to have an “appropriate action” regarding the reported issues surrounding ICCC.
It was also stated on the letter that the city government should inform the Ombudsman for the action taken on the matter within five days from the receipt of the letter.
Espinosa said in a press conference on September 13 that they issued the Executive Order No. 78 to create an Ad Hoc committee to conduct the investigation for the compliance of the ombudsman’s office instruction.
“We are reacting to the instruction of the Ombudsman that we need to take an action. So the action we did is that, we created a committee for investigation. Of course, we ordered some actions to comply with the requirements of the ombudsman,” Espinosa said.
According to Espinosa, the ICCC and Technical Institute of Iloilo City (TIIC) administrator Ma. Mathilde Treñas Octavio was relieved from her post and reassigned as an executive assistant of education, her previous designation. The reassignment is in connection to the investigation to be conducted.
“Relief, for us to look at the investigation we are going to conduct because of the ombudsman’s letter addressed to us,” Espinosa said.
In regards, Espinosa assigned the ICCC’s Associate Professor V Catalina Sanico as the officer-in-charge and Joel Labatorio for TIIC.
As per Espinosa’s statement, it will still depend on the recommendations of the investigating committee if Octavio can still sit as the administrator of the college.
The committee will be headed by City Administrator lawyer Hernando Galvez and members from the City Legal Office’s (CLO) lawyers Ruledo Dela Cruz, Mary Milagros Hechanova, and Mark Piad.
For a “comprehensive” investigation, Espinosa said that his Special Assistant for Education Pearl Zulueta will be the one to check the “day to day” operation of the two colleges.
Earlier, the city council also conducted a hearing regarding similar complaints coming from the faculty of the ICCC.
Complaints and City Council hearing
The complaints discussed on the hearing conducted by the city council were from the members of ICCC faculties. Octavio denied all the irregularities reported by the complainants.
In a letter dated July 27, signed by ICCC teachers Angelyn Janaban, Maria Fe Alejandria, Rezlie Martinez and Arthur Soquen, they are seeking to conduct an inquiry on the status of the college, its operations and the appropriation of its budget.
During the hearing, the complaints provided by the teachers is the salary standardization. Octavio explained that the city government handles the “salary adjustment” of the permanent employees.
Octavio and the supervising administrative officer Jose Escoto denied that college has negative record.
The realignment of the supplemental budget of the ICCC library for the immediate approval, Octavio said that the action was based on the City Budget Office and the Commission on Audit instructions.
She also clarified that the canteen was operated by the cooperative administration. Octavio also said that the books can be accessed by everyone.
Another complaint from the said teachers that the tourism teacher and librarian is not qualified.
Octavio stressed that the allegations was “false” regarding to the lack of receipt to the assistance received by the school. She also included that the cash assistance for scholarships forwarded to the City Treasurer’s Office.
After the hearing, it was recommended that they will conduct another hearing for the clarifications and the documents needed to give on the City Council as evidences. (Carolyn Jane Abello)