Acting Bacolod General Services Office head Jose Solilapsi yesterday said he considers the preventive suspension order against him a form of harassment and he will consult his lawyer on what legal action to take.

Solilapsi was ordered placed under preventive suspension for 60 days without pay pending administrative investigation of the reported sale and unauthorized release of a grader and roller from the City Engineer's Office, as reported by the Commission on Audit regional office.

A memorandum ordering the preventive suspension of Solilapsi, upon the recommendation of City Legal Officer Allan Zamora, was signed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia Wednesday.

He has not yet received his suspension order and only read about in the newspaper yesterday, Solilapsi said.

Solilapsi had also been placed under preventive suspension for 30 days last month pending the administrative investigation on the purchase of supplies and materials worth P203,634. 65 for the renovation of the multi purpose building at the Bacolod Public Plaza. The 30-day suspension period lapsed yesterday.

Solilapsi said he has all the documents pertaining to the scrap materials at the CEO and that he believes Zamora based his recommendation on rumors.

He said he can question Zamora's recommendation since his appointment as CLO was disapproved by the Civil Service Commission after this was not concurred by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Zamora said that is a matter between him and the CSC. Solilapsi said that "With regards to the bidding of scrap materials, Zamora is one of the signatories in the Bids and Awards Committee so he should not recommend my suspension since he is a party to that transaction."

He said the investigating committee is only supposed to determine if there is an anomaly or not but Zamora acted more than the Ombudsman or the court when he recommended his suspension. "I have answered many complaints filed against me before the Ombudsman but I have never been suspended since I get acquitted," he added.

Zamora said there is no issue in the bidding process since it is regular. The issue is where the materials were taken, citing the toilet bowls for the comfort rooms at the Bacolod plaza which were said to have been already inspected. He said that when it was discovered that these were not delivered, Solilapsi took them from the supplier.

Zamora said there is also no issue in the bidding process involving the grader and roller. The issue is why these were released from the CEO compound when Solilapsi was aware that these were not among the properties covered by the Commission on Audit authority to be sold through public auction, he said.

Zamora said the CLO was authorized by the Mayor to investigate because it is one of his functions under the Local Government Code. He said his function is only recommendatory and that Solilapsi was given due process, but since he did not submit his answer, the investigating team recommended his preventive suspension.*CGS

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