Dismissed dep’t heads reinstated

Four former department heads were reinstated yesterday by Governor Hilario Davide III in relation to the decision issued by the Court of Appeals to downgrade the accusations against them.

They are Cristina Giango (health), Bernard Calderon (general services), Eulogio Pelayre (engineering), and Marino Martinquilla (legal). All four were members of the Bids and Awards Committee during the time of former governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

“You are hereby reinstated to your respective positions in the Provincial Government effective upon your receipt of this order. You shall report to the Provincial Administrator on your first day of work for your new assignments, if there are any,” Davide's order read.

The four were reinstated to their posts after they sent a letter addressed to the governor last February 13 with an attachment of the decision by the Court of Appeals.

“Petitioners who have not yet retired or have been separated from government service shall be reinstated immediately,” the CA decision read.

The petitioners are also entitled to payment of back wages and all benefits from the time they were dismissed from service, starting from the time they have served their 3-month suspension up to the time of their actual reinstatement.

In 2015, the four were ordered to vacate their respective positions after the Ombudsman found them guilty of grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty over the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center. The four, with other colleagues, were part of the Bids and Awards Committee.

They sought remedy with the CA and in 2017 the CA modified the Ombudsman's decision. The violation was downgraded to simple misconduct penalized with three months suspension without pay instead of dismissal from service.