Graft complaint filed vs Silvestre Bello III, other DOLE execs

MANILA, Philippines — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)’s former and current officials should be charged with graft and corruption for alleged irregularities within the agency, a ranking official of a group supporting President Duterte said yesterday.

“As a staunch advocate against graft and corruption, I am filing this complaint against (Bello) and former undersecretary Dominador Say for conspiracy to commit both administrative and criminal offenses,” Kilusang Pagbabago National Movement for Change secretary-general Monalie Dizon said in her 15-page complaint-affidavit filed before the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) last Thursday.

The alleged illegal activities of Bello and Say started when Bello signed DOLE’s Administrative Order 241, which recalled the power of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) – DOLE’s attached agency – to issue and renew licenses for recruitment agencies, among others, said Dizon.

The order, signed in June last year, also said that “all processed applications should be forwarded to the Office of the Secretary of Labor for approval or denial.”

She also stressed that Republic Act 10022, amending the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, grants this power solely to POEA.

Since then, Dizon noticed a pattern where some recruitment agencies that filed appeals after their licenses were canceled had decisions by DOLE handed to them between a week and a month, while others waited for as long as more than a year.

She also highlighted a case where the owner of recruitment agency Azzizzah International Manpower Services Inc.’s appeal to reinstate its license was decided by the DOLE after eight days The owner paid Say around P6.8 million just to reverse the DOLE’s decision to revoke the recruitment agency’s license. The owner gave the money in three tranches to Say’s alleged collector Vanessa Josue.

The owner also disclosed that Say even demanded golf sets, while another recruitment agency owner gave one worth P1.5 million.

The owner of Azzizzah has also filed her sworn complaint in front of Duterte in the presence of other government officials special assistant to the president Christopher Go, PACC chairman Dante Jimenez and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea. It later prompted Duterte to fire Say and probe him for alleged corrpution.

Say, formerly DOLE’s undersecretary for policy, employment and regional operations, announced his resignation last April.

Before her meeting with Duterte, however, Bello met the owner of Azzizzah and ordered her to tell the President that he had nothing to do with Say’s alleged bribery despite his knowledge.

Dizon also disclosed that Bello instructed DOLE’s cash division chief Maria Victoria Marquez to withdraw P5 million to supposedly aid typhoon victims in Isabela, but allegedly went to the hands of a certain Dr. Cruz, a DOLE official assigned in Isabela, upon Bello’s instruction.

Inaction for baby’s repatriation

Dizon was forced to expose alleged irregularities by Bello and other officials after she herself engaged in a shouting match with the labor chief last month, when she and a former long-time overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Saudi Arabia named “Mercy” tried to seek help from him.

Mercy, who claimed to have helped fellow troubled OFWs fly home to the country, was allegedly “banned” from contacting Bello and even entering his office after her repeated calls and numerous requests for a meeting with him as she had a direct line to him for two months. She was asking for help to allow her nine-month-old baby, who got sick then and was held in a hospital in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, for repatriation.

She felt, however, that her requests for help from Bello fell on deaf ears.

Dizon was also summoned by Bello to his office, only to be reprimanded and get “banned.”

She later tried to arrange a meeting between Mercy and Bello in his office, but upon their arrival there, Bello allegedly shouted at them, “Do not threaten us! Bastos ka (You’re discourteous)! Get out of my office!”

Dizon emphasized there was no one backing her to file complaints against Bello and other DOLE officials.

Bello belies charges

Bello yesterday dismissed as “risk of being in government service” the corruption charges hurled against him by Dizon.

Bello even expressed willingness to resign or commit suicide if proven that he is soliciting money from recruitment agencies.

“We could go to a lie detector test,” Bello dared the complainant during a radio interview.

“If there is anyone who can say that I asked for money or received money, I am willing to resign immediately. I don’t like to be in government if that is the case. I challenge anybody to come out,” he added.

Bello said his conscience is clear and the complaint against him could just be an attempt to discredit him.

He said he told Dizon that following up of cases pending before his office is prohibited.  – With Mayen Jaymalin