- MITCH M. LIPA
Criminal and administrative complaints for technical malversation of public funds and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act were lodged by two residents of Negros Occidental against seven officials of the provincial government, for hiring 23 job order casual employees, who are registered voters of Bacolod City.
Jonathan Buyco of Talisay City and Lilibeth Carballo of Escalante City in Negros Occidental, in a joint complaint-affidavit subscribed before Atty. Marcus Aurelian Vaflor of the Vaflor, Alimon & Associates Law Office dated Jan. 21, named the respondents as Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz III, Provincial Budget Officer Gemma Flores, Provincial Accountant Annabelle Magalona, Provincial Human Resource Officer OIC Felomina Gozon, Provincial Treasurer Atty. Amy Grace Bolivar, and Merly Frio and Jade Miraflores of the HRO.
The complainants claimed that they sought employment with the province but were told to first secure an endorsement from an influential person. “Sometime in October 2021, we learned that there were 23 residents and registered voters of Bacolod City who were hired and employed by the province as JOs…despite the fact that such appropriation for personal services in the annual budget is intended for employment for residents and taxpayers of the province of Negros Occidental”.
Buyco and Carballo said “the hiring of the Bacolod residents as JOs is maliciously intended to assist in the political promotion or campaign of (Alfredo) Benitez in Bacolod City”.
Meanwhile, Diaz said the complaint is a political harassment, and the charges malicious.
He said the lawyers, who prepared the affidavit-complaint, are the same ones in a case seeking to disqualify Benitez as mayoral candidate of Bacolod in the May polls.
He said the complainants were maybe used by a political camp to discredit the work of the Capitol and maliciously link them to the opponent of the incumbent mayor.
Diaz said there are no government guidelines that say that only residents of the province can seek employment with the provincial government, adding that almost 50 percent of the permanent employees of the provincial Capitol are residents and voters of Bacolod.
The 23 casuals were hired on an as-needed basis and were found qualified after screening for emergency response work, particularly in the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, he said.
The casuals were part of the emergency response team and they have proven their service during the peak of the COVID-19 crisis last year and Typhoon Odette, and were responsible in helping and bringing the assistance of the Capitol to residents severely hit by the typhoon in southern Negros, Diaz said.
“They are into multitasks for any nature of job and should not be likened to the job order casuals of Bacolod City,” he claimed, adding that he received a copy-furnish from the lawyers of the complainants.
Atty. Jose Jireh Alimon of the Vaflor Law Office, said a copy of the complaint, addressed to Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente, was sent through mail Saturday, and they are not sure if it has already been received by the Office of the Ombudsman in Cebu. | MML
