Usurpation case vs Garcia has reached Malacañang

CEBU, Philippines - The complaint of Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. against Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and five other Capitol officials for alleged acts of usurpations has already reached Malacañang.

The Department of Interior and Local Government in Manila forwarded the complaint to the office of the executive secretary.

The complaint was referred by DILG legal service director Jesus Doque IV on November 23, 2010 to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Jr.

In his transmittal letter Doque said that, “we are transmitting the Affidavit-Complaint of Cebu Vice Governor Greg G. Sanchez, Jr. together with the documents appurtenant thereto, against the herein named respondents to wit: Governor Gwendolyn F. Garcia, Marino Martinquilla, Eduardo T. Habin, Roy Salubre, Emmanuel G. Guial and Noli Vincent Valencia.”

Sanchez filed a petition earlier before the DILG seeking reprieve from “acts of usurpations” allegedly perpetrated by Garcia and other respondents who are provincial legal officer Martinquilla, provincial administrator Habin, treasurer Salubre, assistant treasurer Guial and human resource management officer Valencia.

Sanchez asked DILG to order the respondents to cease and desist from committing the alleged “acts of usurpations,” one of which is the arbitrary move of Garcia in 2007 of taking over the signing of the appointments of 18 contractual employees and 39 casual employees assigned to the Office of the Vice Governor.

Sanchez also complained of the issuance of a cease and desist memorandum against the employees. 

Citing the Local Government Code of 1991, Garcia claimed she stood by her “right” to appoint all officials and employees whose salaries and wages are wholly or mainly paid out of provincial funds. The same right was claimed by Sanchez.

Garcia presented yesterday to reporters copy of the latest appointments of the employees of Sanchez which were signed by the Governor on June 30, 2010.

Sanchez has six co-terminus, 11 contractual and 38 casual employees appointed by Garcia.

Garcia is set to meet all employees under the Office of the Vice Governor this afternoon to inform them of their work status after the P3 billion 2011 annual budget was approved by the Provincial Board last Monday.

“He (Sanchez) continues to peddle that lie in his pathetic attempt to court sympathy to his lost cause. This is not about the employees, this is about him,” Garcia said.

Sanchez earlier said that many of his personnel are facing a “black Christmas and hungry New Year” when wages and salaries of casual and contractual employees of the Office of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan were totally cancelled and his budget for next year was slashed by 61 percent.

But, Garcia said that those employees whose salary is being funded under the 2010 budget need not worry because they will be reappointed next year. — THE FREEMAN