Negros Occidental: Vice guv, PB members face raps at Ombuds

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Negros Occidental Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez Jr. and all members of the Provincial Board are now facing criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas.

The charges were filed by the Progressive Alliance of Capitol Employees (PACE) of the Negros Occidental provincial government, headed by its chairman Ruben Diamante.

Besides the vice governor, named respondents were PB Members Renato Gustilo, Nehemias de la Cruz,  Salvador Escalante Jr., Miller Serondo, Manuel Frederick Ko, Patrick Lacson, Jose Benito Alonso, Mae Javellana, Emilio Yulo III, Melvin Ibañez, Helen Zafra, Pedro Zayco, Thea Mae Dino, Raul Rivera and George Gitano.

Diamante said the affidavit-complaint, which they sent through registered mail last Thursday, charged Alvarez and the PB members for their failure to grant the fourth tranche of the employees’ salary increases and additional bonus.

The complainants, who were all PACE officers, however did not specify which law was violated by Alvarez and the PB members.

Diamante explained that, since their complaint does not have a precedent case, they leave it to the Ombudsman to determine the appropriate criminal and administrative liabilities of the vice governor and the PB members.

The PACE officers filed the complaints after months of protest actions against the PB’s non-approval of the province’s annual budget for 2013 that also covers their salary increase and P20,000 additional bonus.

Aside from Diamante, the complainants were Dino Gasendo, Renelo Lastierre, Leo Galvez, Alfredo Dinoy, Ma. Josefa Rosario Cabasac, Nimrod Sarmoy, Edmund Calaor, Rena Maurine Ga, Remy Grace Manalo and Neil Mapa.

They stated that they are entitled to the fourth tranche of their salary increase, which should have taken effect January 2013, as provided under Republic Act 6758 and implemented by Joint Resolution No. 4 of both Houses of Congress.

The proposed budget was disapproved by the PB in its entirety so no salary increase and bonus were granted at the start of 2013, they said in the complaint.

They said they pleaded to the PB members to approve the budget but no action was taken. “The PB has prejudiced its own employees in blatant and grave violation of Joint Resolution No. 4 and RA 6758,” the PACE officers added. (FREEMAN)