Province to advance payof Tudela town employees

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Government would, in the meantime, shoulder the unpaid salaries of the 41 regular employees and officials of Tudela town in Camotes Island that have not been paid since the January 15 payday.

Vice Mayor Clint Maratas, along with some councilors and department heads, met with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday afternoon.

They sought help from the governor due to the clamor of the employees, who have not received their salaries for almost four months now.

“Daghan na gyud ang nagpaabot ug daghan na pud ang nanira tungod kay wala pa namo nabayran ang among utang,” one of the department heads said.

She even admitted that she is now selling vegetables in order to have food on their table.

Since the province has a budget appropriation for loans amounting to P50 million, Garcia said she will be asking the provincial treasurer’s office to release money.

The province would shell out P1, 818,615.40 to cover the unpaid salaries.

Garcia invoked the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code and authorized the release of the specified amount of the town’s fund to pay the back wages of the employees.

Maratas assured Garcia that the municipal government will immediately pay the province once the stalemate on the town’s mayoralty and other related issues would be settled.

The regular employees and officials refused to receive their pay from January to present after Rogelio Baquerfo Sr. asked them to sign a waiver that would recognize him as the town mayor.

Maratas claimed that Baquerfo and municipal treasurer Angelita Roble failed to release the salaries of the town employees, including them, but some employees alleged to be loyal to Baquerfo were allegedly paid.

Baquerfo, however, denied allegations of withholding the employee salaries.

DILG Regional Director Pedro Noval Jr. said he is now collating all the reports that he received against Baquerfo particularly in withholding the salaries and unpaid electrical bills of the town.

“We will submit a report to the Central Office with the recommendations,” Noval said.

He added that he got hold of the copy of Baquerfo’s memorandum addressed to all employees that before getting the salaries they must first recognize him as the lawful mayor.

Noval is not happy that the salaries of the employees have been withheld.

“We hope the salaries of the department heads and employees of the municipality shall be released without any condition except those provided by Civil Service rules,” Noval said in his letter to Baquerfo.

A composite team composed of the DILG, Bureau of Local Government and Finance and Commission on Audit will be going to Tudela in order to conduct an audit.

One of the tasks of the team that they will conduct is to check on how Roble has performed her duties in the disbursement of government funds as she has reportedly gone into hiding.

Baquerfo and Roble allegedly failed to deposit the municipality’s daily collection to the bank, as required by law. The collections are reportedly kept at the mayor’s office.

Baquerfo and Demetrio Granada are fighting over who won as Tudela mayor in the 2007 elections.

Baquerfo is recognized by the Department of Interior and Local Government while Granada, on the other hand, won an election protest case against Baquerfo in the Regional Trial Court in Danao City.

Baquerfo, however, appealed the court decision before the Comelec, which is yet to be resolved.

But despite of it, Granada has already forced himself into as acting municipal mayor despite an adverse opinion from the DILG. — Garry B. Lao/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)