BALTAZAR Tribunalo holds two positions in the Cebu Provincial Government. He is the chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and is the officer-in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro). He was appointed Penro OIC since last year.
Does this mean that Capitol is short of capable people to hold the other position? A person, no matter how effective, can become ineffective if given another task. According to some experts, the brain cannot effectively or efficiently switch between tasks, so you lose time. It takes four times longer to recognize new things so you’re not saving time. You also lose time because you often make mistakes.
But in fairness to Tribunalo, he only receives salary from one of the positions as receiving salaries from both positions or double compensation is a violation. Maybe he receives allowances or honoraria. Pero wa na gyuy laing matudlo si Gov. Hilario Davide III diha? O sobra lang iyang bilib anang Tribunalo?
Sources said Tribunalo is enjoying both jobs. Why? Because of the perks. As chief of the disaster office, he has reportedly been requesting disaster equipment even if it is not necessary. Most of the equipment are rotting in his office. You know already what happens in government purchases.
Among the disaster equipment he requested were two speed boats. One of them reportedly sank in the Talisay City waters while escorting a fluvial procession during the city’s fiesta last October.
As OIC at Penro, Tribunalo has been accused of soliciting items from sand, gravel and limestome (anapog) haulers. A source said that just recently a businessman engaged in hauling delivered two aircon units and a big flat TV screen to his office. These were reportedly mis-delivered. In an interview with reporters, Tribunalo admitted having received those items saying the donor company volunteered to donate them as part of their “corporate social responsibility.” He denied accepting these personally and having these delivered to his residence.
But isn’t a public official soliciting cash or items from a private individual, especially if the donor is doing business in your office, a violation? Penro is the one issuing permits and monitoring the hauling business in the province. If Tribunalo has the delicadeza he should not have accepted those donations.
I was told that the process of accepting donations is that these should be received by the General Services Office, which will receive the donations with proper recording in the accounting office and covered with acknowledgment receipts before it will be assigned to the end user. But why did Tribunalo accept these personally?
To widen his influence, Tribunalo dissolved the task force against illegal fishing that the governor heads and ordered its personnel to report to him. Is it usurpation of function? Well, I know already his agenda in doing so.