2 Ozone convicts still with QC gov’t

MANILA, Philippines - Two of seven Quezon City government personnel convicted for the 1996 Ozone Disco Club tragedy are still working for the city government, Mayor Herbert Bautista said yesterday.

They are former building inspector Rolando Mamaid, who is still with the City Engineering Office but is now the chief of road constructions, and engineer Petronillo de Llamas, now with the legal division of the city’s department of building official.

The other five government personnel, who are no longer connected with the city government, are still in the country, Bautista said.

Also convicted are former city engineer Alfredo Macapugay and staff Donato Rivera Jr., Edgardo Reyes, Francisco Itliong and Feliciano Sagana.

The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division convicted the seven personnel for their failure to detect the structural deficiencies of the club along Timog Avenue. They were sentenced, along with two stockholders of the club, to up to 10 years behind bars.

Bautista said it is the right of those convicted of graft by the Sandiganbayan to appeal the court’s decision.

 “I think that’s what they’re going to do,” he added.

Asked what administrative action would be taken by the city government on Mamaid and De Llamas, Bautista said he would have to verify with the Civil Service Commission.

According to Bautista, one of the actions taken by the city government following the tragedy was to ease the workload of the city engineering office.

This involved having the city engineering office devoted to the inspection of public infrastructure and creating the department of building official assigned to inspect constructions by private entities.

Bautista said the move was made during the term of former Quezon City mayor and now Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.