Clark airport chief airs side on alleged anomalies

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga – Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) president and chief executive officer Adelberto Yap denied yesterday allegations that he has been maintaining "ghost employees" and turned the tables on his accuser against whom he is now filing administrative charges.

Yap, a retired Air force major general, denied charges in the formal complaint filed by Hilarion Nacpil, former manager of the CIAC corporate services and human resources departments, who claimed he had appointed three ghost employees. Nacpil said that three were made regular employees last June 1 but have allegedly been reporting at Yap’s home in Pasig City.

Nacpil in his complaint forwarded to the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) said that Pedro David Jr. and Carlo Gonzaga "were hired as painter and motor pool assistant, respectively, last Jan. 5 and were regularized June 1 with a salary of P8,781 per month", adding that "most of their time was spent at the residence of Yap."

There have been reports that the two were asked to assemble a Humvee vehicle for Yap who said, however, that such vehicle had been finished "a long time ago".

Another employee whom Nacpil identified as Ferico Carangan was first hired on Nov. 10, 2003 as head executive assistant. After resigning last Feb. 29, Carangan was reappointed allegedly by Yap as his liaison officer but "has no record of attendance from his appointment as liaison officer up to this date," Nacpil also said.

Yap said, however, that the appointment of the three had not been renewed since last July 15 after Nacpil first made the allegations against them. "They still report to work, but I personally assist them to tide them over until their appointments are finally approved," he said.

Yap said he has fired Nacpil from CIAC. In his memorandum firing Nacpil, Yap cited "loss of confidence, serious misconduct, commission of offense against the person of the president and chief executive officer, and gross and habitual neglect of your duties and responsibilities".

He also cited in his memorandum Nacpil’s alleged "commission of a series of unauthorized absences to the detriment of the service" and his reportedly "utter and gross violation of existing and well-established corporate procedure to promote your interest and get even with the undersigned for relieving you as manager of the corporate services department."– Ding Cervantes