Two erring Bacolod employees suspended

BACOLOD CITY: Two building inspectors of the Office of the Building Official (OBO) accused of extortion were slapped with 60-day preventive suspension.

Romeo Carlos Ting Jr., city legal officer (CLO), said a formal charge for gross misconduct against the two employees will also be filed along with the suspension.

He, however, refused to identify them.

The two personnel were accused of demanding P5,000 to expedite the OBO clearance approval during a mayor’s permit renewal inspection on January 11.

The employees initially demanded P15,000, based on the affidavit of the complainant.

Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez said a businessman sent him a cell phone video of the alleged extortion attempt by the two OBO employees during a mayor’s permit renewal inspection.

But instead of paying, the businessman reported the matter to the mayor.

The CLO will conduct the hearing of the formal charge where the two OBO employees can opt to be represented by a lawyer.

Ting said they will determine during the hearing if the two followed the proper inspection process, although it was already determined that no appointment was issued to conduct an inspection that day.

“Somebody called them to go to the OBO office,” he said.

Mayor Benitez said the hearing will be the forum for these OBO personnel to refute the allegations.

“But the charges [for gross misconduct] were filed based on evidence,” Benitez said.

“These are the things that we will never tolerate. If it requires suspending or dismissing a huge number of employees, so be it,” he pointed out.

“We will be unrelenting in our drive against corruption. It will not be tolerated,” the mayor said.