Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia has ordered three regular employees placed under preventive suspension for 30 days without pay while a formal administrative investigation is being conducted on them.

Under administrative investigations are Traffic Aides 1 Germale Federico and Arnel Mondejar for reported unauthorized absences and tardiness, and Othelo Ramos of the Public Order and Safety Office, for complaints of grave misconduct and abuse of authority filed against him by casual employee Roberto Halili.

Federico and Mondejar have requested the mayor to lift the preventive suspension order he issued against them Tuesday, which they claimed was not in order, was illegal and unconstitutional.

Ramos has appealed the decision of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities dated Jan. 16, 2008, that found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the charges against him.

Federico said they will wait for the investigation to be conducted by the city before filing an appeal before the Civil Service Commission. He also threatened to bring the matter to court or the Office of the Ombudsman if the city does not consider their appeal.

They will also question before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines the acts of the mayor and the CLO, Federico said. He claimed that the mayor signed documents without going over it, while Zamora abused his authority because he has made decisions beyond his authority, such as the determination of authorized and unauthorized absences.

Zamora said the basis for his recommendation to the mayor for the suspension of Federico and Mondejar are their unauthorized absences which were reflected in the records of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office. He said the Daily Attendance Sheet of the BTAO also reflected that they have been late and have continued to receive their salaries even on days when they were absent. In other words, they have committed an act of falsification, and that is considered grave misconduct, he added.

It would have been better if they did not get their salaries so they would not be accused of falsification and grave misconduct, Zamora said.

Meanwhile, Zamora said the CSC VI in an Order dated Jan. 24, 2005 referred to the city the administrative complaints for grave misconduct and abuse of authority filed by Halili against Ramos. He said they did not act on it right away but waited for the criminal case to be finished.

Zamora said the legal officer has authority to investigate employees and officials of the city and make proper recommendations to the mayor based on Section 481 of the Local Government Code.*CGS

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