Postman suspended

CEBU, Philippines - For challenging a client to a fistfight, the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas suspended an employee of the Mandaue City Central Post Office for one month without pay.

Graft investigation and prosecution officer Pio Dargantes found sufficient evidence to hold postman Antonio Bulawit administratively liable for simple misconduct.

“Verily, the act of respondent in advising complainant to come back for his mail when he could have attended to the request immediately and his challenging complainant to a fistfight is contrary to law,” the decision read.

Pablo Cailing Jr., filed the complaint and alleged that on November 13, 2009, he went to the post office to follow-up his mail from the Social Security System (SSS) but Bulawit told him to come back in the afternoon.

Upon his return, Cailing said Bulawit was not there. Cailing went to the adjacent building where he chanced upon the general manager who then called and told Bulawit to entertain him.

However, Cailing alleged that Bulawit shouted at him, told him that his mail has not yet arrived and called him “hard-headed.”

Cailing said the general manager told the respondent to attend to the complainant in a good way.

While on their way to check the mail, he alleged that Bulawit kept berating him for reporting the matter to their general manager.

Upon checking the mail, he said the respondent told him that there was no mail for him and challenged him to a fistfight. However, Cailing said he just left and reported the incident to the police.

In his counter-affidavit, Bulawit denied the allegation and said that at that time, he was busy attending to their sports fest in celebration of the Postal Consciousness Week.

He however, admitted that he got “irked” by the way the Cailing asked questions but denied challenging him to a fistfight.

In his decision, Dargantes ruled in favor of the complainant citing the defense of the respondent was an alibi.

The anti-graft office directed the regional director of the Philippine Postal Corporation-7 to implement the order.  (FREEMAN)