Firm sued for 'bogus' in-house engineers

CEBU, Philippines – A "landmark" case has been filed before the Professional Regulations Commission-7 against a company in MEPZ, Lapu-Lapu City for allegedly hiring engineers connected with other firms so that the company can obtain Certificates of Compliance from PRC.

Engineer Joselito Arenas, a former employee of the company in question, filed the administrative complaint before PRC's Board of Electrical, Chemical, and Mechanical Engineering.

He said the company's "unprofessional and/or dishonorable conduct" violates the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Act of 1998.

"This is a landmark case, this is a precedent. I am appealing our group to support me. This might also happening in other companies," Arenas said.

He filed the case against the company's president and chief executive officer, vice president for operations, assistant vice president, plant manager, HRQ-manager; and engineers.

The Freeman is withholding the names of those sued pending their answer to the charges.

Arenas alleged that the company's officials submitted to the PRC documents, which made it appear that three mechanical engineers are resident mechanical engineers of the company from 2013 to 2015, supposedly to comply with Section 34, Article IV of Republic Act No. 8495.

They are supposedly in-charge of plant operation and supposedly employed inside the plant the whole time the plant is in operation.

"The truth of the matter is that these supposed Professional Mechanical Engineers could not, cannot and did not actually supervise and oversee the operation of EAUC's power plant while said plant is in operation," Arenas said.

He alleged that it is impossible for the four mechanical engineers to be employed by the company because the company has a policy against conflict of interest and the said employees are employed or connected with other firms.

One of the three is the president of another company and a director of another. Another one of the three is the president and manager of another firm. The third is the manager of another company while the fourth is the general manager of a separate company.

Arenas alleged that the four mechanical engineers allowed their licenses to be used as alleged resident professional mechanical engineers in order for the company in question to be issued compliance certificates despite the fact that, in reality, the engineers are not employed by the company and never supervised and oversaw its operation. —/JMO (FREEMAN)