By George Trillo
MABALACAT, Pampanga – After 200 workers of this town were fired allegedly to save on funds even as at least 20 department heads and a few employees of this municipality flew to Thailand on April 10 reportedly on a junket tour that included their spouses and children. It was the third of such alleged junket tours since last November, involving either department heads or municipal councilors or both.
No one from the municipality could say whether Mayor Marino Morales joined the trip to Bangkok. Calls to his office remained unanswered and his cell phone had apparently been unattended, as the travelers had not yet arrived as of press time.
Vice Mayor Prospero Lagman, who is the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Bayan, also could not be reached immediately. The “junketeers” and their families left on April 10 via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, a day after work at the municipal offices were suspended due to a day-long power failure. The town has no power generator of its own.
One of the travelers was heard earlier telling an officemate that each official received P70,000 pocket money and that some P1.4 million to P3 million was allocated for the trip. No one could say for certain where the funds came from. Sources said the Bangkok trip was not covered by a permit as required of local officials under President Arroyo’s EO 103.
This, after some 200 “job order” workers of the municipality were fired allegedly as part of the local government’s “austerity measures.” The dismissed workers said they will launch a “silent protest” against their dismissal and initiate a “shame campaign” against the “junketeers.”
Among those who flew to Bangkok were municipal administrator Rosan Paquia, budget officer Roger Tanglao and his family, municipal treasurer Myrna Ocampo and her family, and Dionisio Magbalot, whose travel agency allegedly worked out for the travel. An official from Morales’ office said the trip was upon the invitation of the Department of Trade and Industry.
But Lydia Rivera, chief of the management support unit of the DTI in Pampanga denied this. “We are indeed organizing a trip to Thailand for local officials involved in our one-product, one-town (OTOP) project, but we have not even chosen yet which municipality will participate.”
“Besides, normally the local government units spend for such trips that include only the mayor, one councilor and the local OTOP head. Our agency does not have the money,” she said. Municipal employees told newsmen asked not to be named, for fear of reprisal, but they expressed “disgust” and “anger” over the junket.
One source said that a local official of the Department of Interior and Local Government joined the trip to Thailand. A check with the office of DILG provincial officer Ofelio Tactac found out that Natividad Dungca, DILG officer assigned to Mabalacat, went on official leave starting last week, although no one among her colleagues could say whether she was among those who left for Thailand.
Only recently, some 200 “job order” workers were fired by the municipal government allegedly to save on funds. This, amid allegations of non-remittance of employees’ contributions to the Pag-Ibig Fund and Government Service Insurance System. Some employees have also found out that the treasurer’s office has been deducting from their salaries for loan amortizations for financial institutions, despite overpayment.
Laid off workers urged members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to investigate the alleged junket. But others expressed “hopelessness” as they noted that almost all top officials in this municipality had been beneficiaries of such junkets. They noted that in November last year, councilors and department heads also vacationed in Hong Kong. There were reports that a real estate developer sponsored the trip. Last February, councilors went on a ship cruise from Singapore to Macau.
Pampanga’s ‘sisig queen’ stabbed dead
ANGELES CITY – The woman who made this Pampanga city famous as “sisig capital” was killed in her bedroom before dawn Wednesday. Police said Lucia Cunanan, 80, founder and owner of the Aling Lucing food chain and dubbed as the “sisig queen” in the culinary world, was found dead by her husband, Tino, 85, on her bed in their home at the back of the Angeles University Foundation here at around 4 a.m.
Cunanan had several stab wounds in the chest. Probers said the Cunanan couple and their maid, Bibeth Argunilla, were the only ones residing in the house. The housemaid, who was employed only a month earlier, claimed she did not hear any commotion. Police said only the victim’s bedroom was in disarray and that some pieces of jewelry were apparently missing from a cabinet. There were apparently no signs of forcible entry in the Cunanan home, they added. – George Trillo
No comments:
Post a Comment