• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A former Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office (BENRO) head and a regular BENRO employee have been issued with show-cause orders following separate administrative allegations of conflict of interest and illegal permit processing.
City Legal Office (CLO) head, Atty. Karol Joseph Chiu, confirmed Sept. 3 that they served the orders issued by Mayor Greg Gasataya to the former BENRO officer-in-charge and a regular BENRO employee.
Both have five days from receipt on Sept. 1 to submit their written explanations on why administrative charges should not be filed against them.
He said the show-cause order against the former BENRO official followed result of a preliminary investigation by the CLO regarding a potential conflict of interest involving the latter’s son and then garbage contractor IPM Construction & Development Corporation (IPM-CDC).
Records indicate that IPM-CDC was awarded contracts exceeding P962 million for waste management services, during which BENRO held a role in monitoring, coordination, implementation, inspection, validation, certification, recommendation for payment, penalty assessment, and related administrative actions involving the garbage contractor.
“When we reviewed the compliances from IPM’s time, there were penalties included where out of the P24 million we paid, the penalty was P1 thousand, and out of the P23 million we paid, the penalty was P2 thousand, so that is what is subject of review,” Chiu said.
The city said the initial fact-finding records constitute an alleged grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, among others.
The regular BENRO employee, meanwhile, faces an administrative investigation following a fixing complaint filed by a resort owner based in Barangay Alangilan.
The business owner provided GCash receipts showing that P10,000 was sent to the employee in Sept. 2025 to process required business and environmental documents, including an environmental compliance certificate, certificate of non-coverage, or discharge permit with the Environmental Management Bureau, none of which were ever secured or released.
“This time around, they took advantage of the situation and handled the incident themselves through fixing, and the complainant even presented a GCash receipt deposited to his (employee) account to prove it,” Chiu said.
He noted that the employee had previously been recommended by the former BENRO OIC for promotion, from Salary Grade 1 to SG 15.
The CLO emphasized that it remains open to public complaints regarding illegal transactions involving local government workers.
“We are calling on the public so we can put a stop to fixing the government. If anyone has complaints against BENRO regarding issues like this, where they are taking advantage by acting as fixers and charging fees to process ECC and CNC, just come here to the City Legal Office, because this is what we are striving to do: put an end to irregularities in the city government,” Chiu stressed. | TMD
