• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II and Executive Assistant II Chery Sheil Valenzuela have returned to work at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Thursday (Sept. 19).
This was after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) ordered Diaz to return his post and for Valenzuela to report to her work after receiving copies of the Ombudsman decision, reducing their suspension of six months to one month.
Diaz and Valenzuela started serving their suspension on June 8 thus, their one-month suspension should have ended in July.
Upon receiving the copy of an order issued by the DILG, Diaz said he immediately informed Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, who ordered him to report to his office also immediately.
DILG-Western Visayas Regional Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero, in his memorandum dated Sept. 17, cited the Aug. 21 order approved by the Office of the Ombudsman, reducing the penalty meted on Diaz and Valenzuela for the private practice of law in conflict with their jobs.
While serving his suspension, Diaz’s duties were carried out by Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr., who served as the officer-in-charge of the Provincial Administrator’s Office.
“I have properly turned over all the work to the officer-in-charge when I stepped down last June. I’m here to support the provincial government employees so they can focus on their work to serve the people of the province,” Diaz said.
He also thanked the Progressive Alliance of Capitol Employees for supporting his return to the Capitol. | GB
