• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Two more Negros Occidental provincial government employees were slapped with 60-day preventive suspensions after being charged with grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and malversation of public funds, by the Provincial Legal Office, in connection with missing fertilizers worth P2.3 million at a government-owned warehouse in Brgy. Tabunan, Bago City.
Facing administrative charges are Joy Cardinal and Herminigildo Basilio, both employees of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist.
Based on preliminary investigations, Provincial Legal Officer Atty. Alberto Nellas said the two respondents, as persons in charge of the RPC warehouse in Brgy. Tabunan, Bago City, received 2,000 bags of fertilizers from the Department of Agriculture, with the duty of safe keeping and distributing the fertilizers to local government units of Negros Occidental.
On October 18 last year, the municipality of Cauayan reported that they were not able to withdraw the fertilizers allotted to them at the RPC, since there were no more fertilizers left, PLO reports said.
Subsequent inventory revealed that 789 bags of fertilizers, with an established value of P2,367,000, were found missing from the RPC storage. Cardinal and Basilio are both stationed and designated as in charge of the warehouse, the report added.
After preliminary investigations and evidence submitted by the parties, Nellas said that Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson found a prima facie case against the two respondents, for administrative charges.
Pursuant to Section 23 in relation to Rule 27 of the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, the respondents are hereby directed to answer the charge in writing, under oath within three days from receipt hereof, to indicate whether or not they prefer a formal investigation.
Failure to answer within the prescribed period shall be considered a waiver to submit the same and the case shall be decided based on available records, Nellas said.*
