P500,000 retirement grant: Ombuds to probe MCIAA

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Visayas Ombudsman has formed a fact-finding team to look into the decision of the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority to grant P500,000 to former Department of Tourism regional director Patria Roa.

Assistant Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Santiago said that they will check if there were irregularities in giving the amount as retirement benefit to Roa.

Roa, who served the board for 15 years, had to leave the board after her retirement from government service.

“If it was in accordance to their resolution and if we find it legal then there’s nothing wrong of giving such money,” Santiago said.

Santiago said that she called a lawyer from the Commission on Audit (COA) to inquire if the commission had evaluated the legality of the grant.

Santiago also verbally instructed the MCIAA not to release the check until the issue is cleared.

MCIAA board secretary Evelyn Ramirez, however, said they did not receive any message to hold the issuance of the check.

Meanwhile, MCIA general manager Danilo Augusto Francia insisted that the granting of such benefit to Roa is aboveboard, citing provisions of Republic Act 6958 or the law that created the MCIAA Charter.

Francia claimed that under the law, one of the functions, powers and duties of MCIAA is “to exercise all powers of a corporation” under the Corporation Code.

According to him, the MCIAA’s corporate powers should always be consistent with Republic Act 6958.

Santiago said some COA legal officers had told her that this is the second time that the MCIAA board had granted such benefits to a board member, who retired.

Francia cited Section 36 of the Corporation Code of the Philippines that allows corporations to establish pension, retirement and other plans for the benefit of its directors, trustees, officers and employees.

Gwen Backs Grant

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said that the reason why this issue on the grant to Roa came out is the fact that a request for additional bonuses by the airport employees was denied.

Garcia maintained that the MCIAA board has the authority to grant such to Roa based on the service she rendered to the board. According to Garcia, it is based on a resolution and approved by the members of the board.

The governor, who is a member of the board, said that they always reach a consensus when making decisions.

“Just like there was a request by the employees for the bonuses which upon computation would have given them as much as P200,000 to P300,000 just for one year alone. I think this is something that has not been taken up,” Garcia said.

Garcia recalled that the employees presented a proposal that their CNA would be computed, but when they look into this, each employee will receive P200,000 to P300,000 for one year alone.

The governor said they discussed the proposal presented by the Mactan Airport employees, but the board found such request unjustifiable.

Garcia said when they conducted review of the Memorandum Circular in granting bonuses to government employees, the board found out that they cannot implement such request of the airport employees.

Garcia suspects that the issue about granting severance fee to Roa came out because of the disgruntled airport employees.

The governor also hopes that the issue on the demand of airport employees be given prominence by members of the media.

Some airport employees expressed their disappointment over the move of the MCIAA officials, and on how the airport is being run. — /NLQ (FREEMAN NEWS)