Cebu vice governor Hilario Davide III raises a concern during the budget hearing on Tuesday, November 5, 2019. CDN Digital photo | Rosalie Abatayo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The former budget officer of the Cebu Provincial Capitol has not received his salary since August 2019.
Danilo Rodas, appointed by former Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III as budget officer in 2015, has not been receiving his salary after Governor Gwendolyn Garcia reinstated Emme Gingoyon as budget officer last July.
Davide, who is now the vice governor of Cebu, revealed this as he questioned the non-inclusion of Rodas’ name in the personnel roster under the Provincial Budget Office for the 2020 budget.
Davide said the situation is unfair for Rodas since the latter has been reporting to the Provincial Budget Office everyday.
“Kung dunay kaso, nadismiss ba pananglitan si Mr. Rodas o gi-terminate ba ang iyang services, may be that is a sufficient justification nganong i-exclude siya,”Davide said.
(If he has a case, for example if Mr. Rodas was dismissed or his services was terminated, that may be a sufficient justification why he should be excluded.)
Davide appointed Rodas in 2015 after the Office of the Ombudsman dismissed Gingoyon, along with other members of the province’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), over the Balili property backfilling case.
Gingoyon, however, appealed his dismissal before the Court of Appeals (CA).
The appellate court, on July 2017, released a decision that downgraded the charges against the BAC members as simple misconduct and simple neglect of duty, which only carries a sanction of 3-month suspension
The other dismissed BAC members were reinstated but Gingoyon, according to Davide, did not heed his reinstatement letter.
In his appointment, Rodas signed an undertaking that he will revert to Assistant Department Head of the Budget Office if Gingoyon will be reinstated.
The undertaking was validated by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
But Provincial Administrator Noli Valencia said they have no basis in placing Rodas in the personnel schedule because there is appointment order for Rodas to assume as assistant department head.
“Dili man na ang undertaking ang atong basehan kay di man na nato magamit pagpakobra og sweldo,” Valencia said in an interview.
(The undertaking does not suffice because we cannot refer to it in preparing the payroll.)
Valencia said they have referred the case to the CSC and that they are now awaiting resolution.
He also assured that if the CSC will rule favorably for Rodas, the latter would receive his unclaimed back pay.
Last December 2018, Garcia sued Davide, former vice governor Agnes Magpale, former Administrator Mark Tolentino and Rodas for illegal appointment.
The case is still pending before the Office of the Ombudsman. /bmjo