Rama: No qualms about suspending 3 engineers

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama said he is ready to implement the order against three city engineers ordered suspended by the Ombudsman for grave misconduct.

His rival for reelection Rep. Tomas Osmeña said he believes Rama is hesitant to preventively suspend the three because he is afraid that they will retaliate by “spilling the beans.”

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Pelagio Apostol already clarified that the motion for reconsideration that was filed by the three respondents cannot stop the implementation of the preventive suspension order issued by his office against June Nadine Sison, Juanito Pua and Joel Pasatiempo all under the Department of Engineering and Public Works.

“Because if he will do it, the three engineers may spill the beans. It is very obvious, I can’t think of any other explanations, anyway let the people penalize him during the election day,” Osmeña said.

But in a separate interview, the mayor said he is ready to implement the order from the ombudsman as he already asked the City Legal Office to prepare the suspension order against the concerned personnel.

“Wa g’yud ko’y problema ana. Ang ako lang, we have to follow the correct procedures,” Rama told reporters.

Rama said it is not true that he does not plan to carry out the suspension order fearing the three will squeal on anomalies in City Hall.

Rama reiterated that the reason for the delay was that he asked for advice from City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez on what to do after learning that the respondents had filed a motion for reconsideration against the suspension order.

The three engineers were accused by private contractor Ro-bert Montenegro, who owns Fe & A Construction Services, of allegedly demanding one brand new computer and a “high-tech” camera from him that prompted him to file charges.

Montenegro said because he had already given the respondents with some incentives and monetary dole-outs, he turned down their demands for computers and a camera, but he claimed the respondents retaliated by suspending his project and also refused to release the 10 percent retention money, about P150,000, of the road concreting project that he had undertaken in Barangay Toong.

Pua, head of the construction division; Pasatiempo, project inspector and Sison, assistant city engineer, have all denied the allegations.

Montenegro earlier urged Rama to implement the suspension which he said was issued last Jan. 9, 2013 and received by the mayor’s office last February 21.   (FREEMAN)