P500,000 RETIREMENT PAY FOR ROA: Airport personnel cry foul over grant

CEBU, Philippines - Several personnel of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) are questioning the propriety of the granting of severance pay of P500,000 to former Department of Tourism (DOT)-7 regional director Patria Aurora Roa.

The FREEMAN talked to some of the 650 Mactan airport personnel yesterday and they claimed that “almost all of them” are criticizing the move to grant the amount to Roa, who served as member of the MCIAA Board for the past 15 years.

“It’s anomalous and has no legal basis. It is self-serving for the board members to invent such benefits like MCIAA has become a milking cow for non-career officials of the airport,” one of the employees who requested anonymity told The FREEMAN.

Another employee said “If MCIAA cannot even provide enough hand soap or toilet paper for all of the airport’s comfort rooms it has no right to squander passenger terminal fees to benefit the pockets of its board members.”

 Among the documents obtained by The FREEMAN is the certification issued by Evelyn A. Ramirez, the MCIAA Board secretary.

She claimed that the 15-man MCIAA Board passed a resolution during their meeting on April 15 granting Roa P500,000 in recognition of her invaluable service and contribution to the airport’s board as alternate member-director for 15 years.

Roa, who is fondly called “Dawnie” by her friends, retired from the government service a few months ago. Airport manager Danilo Augusto Francia, who sits as vice chair of the MCIAA Board, signed a disbursement voucher dated May 21.

The paper work has however not moved as expeditiously as the employees, who felt that the grant is not proper, did not push it.

When he observed that the processing of the grant for Roa was not quickly acted upon at the finance department, Francia issued a memorandum dated July 7 addressed to the cashiering division and other concerned offices.

“You are hereby directed to process documents and issue check in favor of Dir. Patria Aurora B. Roa in the sum of Five Hundred Thousand Pesos to defray payment in recognition of her invaluable service and contribution to the MCIAA Board,” Francia’s memorandum reads.

“This is an outrageous expense that President Noynoy Aquino should stop. Granted at a time when board members are about to exit from MCIAA, this severance pay is no different from a midnight deal that is being rushed secretly and without shame,” one of the airport’s division heads, who also asked to remain anonymous, said.

One of the staff of the airport’s finance section wished that “all the MCIAA board members, who approved this illegal disbursement of public funds should be dismissed, including the signatories of the check.”

When The FREEMAN verified at the MCIAA cashiering division, the P500,000 check for Roa was already there, already signed by Francia together with the head of the cashiering division.

The MCIAA Board is headed by the Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) and is composed of 14 other members from the various government agencies and some private sector representatives.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is among the members of the MCIAA Board, whose members meet twice a month and receive a per diem P20,000 every meeting.

Some airport personnel described the move of the MCIAA Board in granting such huge dole-out to Roa as already excessive and in violation of the government audit procedures.

The FREEMAN tried, but failed to contact state auditor Anecita Pilapil, the supervising auditor tasked to supervise the transactions of the airport.

When The FREEMAN asked Francia about the allegation that the granting of such huge dole-out to Roa is already excessive, he said, “It is not.”

“It is based on years served times the board’s one month allowance. That is the exact same basis of retirement plans. We just followed this. Director Roa is the longest continuous service of more than 15 years,” said Francia.

But the ordinary airport employees are not satisfied of Francia’s explanation because according to them the half million pesos dole-out is equivalent to three truckloads of rice or truckloads of groceries. — /NLQ