SPEED head hits city ombuds’ endorsement to suspend him

The recommendation of city ombudsman Orlando Secretario to suspend the head of the city’s demolition team, in connection to the sale of used medical equipment to a junk shop, has been criticized.

Vicente Mercado, chief of the Squatters Prevention and Encroachment Elimination Division, said Secretario failed to give him due process over the case because his side was not obtained first before recommending for his suspension.

Secretario informed The Freeman last week that he had already recommended to Mayor Tomas Osmeña that Mercado be suspended for one month because of failure to take action against SPEED property custodian Enriquita Crispe.

It was command responsibility, and Mercado allegedly failed to act accordingly despite being informed of Crispe’s alleged illegal sale of the used equipment to a junk shop, said Secretario, adding that he also pushed for a 6-month suspension against Crispe.

Crispe has been accused of selling 1,950 kilos of used medical equipment to JP Pardillo Junk Shop last February 10.

A personnel of SPEED had executed an affidavit that, even if February 10 was a Saturday, he was advised to report that day to help load the medical equipment into a truck to haul them to Pardillo’s junk shop.

Junk shop owner Julito Pardillo admitted that he paid P13,650 for the used equipment, which included a brain scanner machine, ECG machine, Ultra Sound, an over bed table, dental X-Ray, wheel chairs, and thread mill machine, among several others.

A City Hall team, however, later recovered from the junk shop the sold equipment, which are now being used as evidences against Crispe.

Lawyer Joseph Bernaldez, head of the City Hall’s employees management committee on inquiry, was also surprised of Sacretario’s announcement that suspensions were already recommended against Mercado and Crispe.

"Nganong duna man siya’y recommendation nga nagpadayon pa man ang akong imbestigasyon?," said Bernaldez, who is investigating into the liability of Crispe for unauthorized sale of the city’s property.

Some City Hall insiders surmised that the offices of Secretario and Bernaldez might have no coordination with one another thus causing the confusion.

"Ang makadaut mao nga kon masilotan na sila si Mercado ug Crispe basi sa rekomendasyon ni Secretario, unya basi sa imbestigasyon ni Bernaldez angay diay ang bug-at nga silot, dili na mapatuman kay maisip na man nga double jeopardy," they said. — Rene U. Borromeo/RAE