Ombudsman assigns anti-graft prosecutor

THE Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas started its fact-finding investigation on the legality of the P500,000 severance pay the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) board gave a former member.

Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Santiago said yesterday her office assigned an anti-graft prosecutor to focus on the legitimacy of the release to former MCIAA board member and former Department of Tourism (DOT) 7

director Patria Aurora Roa.

Santiago disclosed that former Tourism secretary Joseph Ace Durano called her up and inquired whether the reported release of severance pay to Roa was legal.

Despite her advice for the MCIAA to hold the check for Roa, Santiago learned from media reports that the check was delivered to Roa’s house last Saturday afternoon.

MCIAA board secretary Evelyn Ramirez was quoted as saying they released the check to Roa since they did not receive any orders from the board to hold the release.

The 15-member MCIAA board passed last April 15 a resolution granting Roa the benefit to recognize her services to the board as an alternate member-director for 15 years.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia clarified yesterday that the "severance pay" to Roa was a collective effort of the board.

Bonus

Garcia, who sits in the board, said the body stands by its power under the MCIAA charter.

Section 7(d) of Republic Act 6958 or the MCIAA Charter states that the board is empowered “to approve salary ranges, benefits and other terms and conditions of service for all officers and employees of the authority, upon recommendation of the general manager, which shall, as far as possible, be competitive with those offered in the private sector, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.”

Some airport employees questioned Roa’s severance pay after MCIAA General Manager Danilo Augusto Francia issued last July 7 a memorandum directing the airport’s cashier to expedite the release of the check to Roa.

However, the governor believes disgruntled employees are behind the issue since the board turned down their request for a collective negotiation agreement bonus.

She said the board decided not to grant it since after computation, the body found out that most of the employees will receive P200,000 to P300,000 for one year alone.

The board found the employees’ demand too high.

Garcia sits as an ex-officio member of the board.

The other members are Department of Justice Undersecretary Jovy Salazar, Department of Finance Undersecretary Marilou Degal, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Director-General Alfonso Cusi, DOT 7 Director Maria Rica Bueno and private sector representatives, including former Cebu City vice mayor Renato Osmeña, Cebu Business Club president Dondi Joseph, newspaper columnist Bobit Avila and businessman Winglip Chang, one of the owners of Cebu Grand Convention Center.

COA

Francia reiterated yesterday the board did not violate any law when it granted the severance pay to Roa after her retirement.

In a text message, Francia also denied the MCIAA has incurred millions of pesos in payments and disbursements that were disallowed by the

Commission on Audit (COA) due to lack of legal basis.

However, COA disallowed the payment of P58 million worth of benefits to MCIAA officials and employees for the years 1998, 1999 and 2000 before Francia became general manager.

In 2006, COA also reported the MCIAA disbursed without any legal basis P13.65 million worth of cash dividends to members of the board of directors and some officials and employees, including a legal consultant.

(GMD/RSA/EOB)

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