Fired GSIS official cries persecution

Dismissed Government Service and Insurance System vice president for corporate services Rudy Tesoro said he was a victim of GSIS president and general manager Winston Garcia’s "persecution."

Tesoro was dismissed for his involvement in the allegedly anomalous P55 million construction of a GSIS field office in Iloilo, though he told The STAR he was not involved in the bidding process and that he was the last GSIS official to approve the project awarded to Embrocal Builders Inc.

Embrocal was awarded the contract for the field office’s construction after it passed the GSIS bidding and awards committee, which reviewed the contract.

GSIS vice president for branches Mario Basa also reviewed the Embrocal contract before it was passed to Tesoro’s office, the beleaguered official said.

Some of the bidders vying for the contract for the construction of the GSIS Iloilo field office were already disqualified by the bidding committee before the project was elevated to his office, Tesoro said.

Prior to his reassignment to the corporate services group of GSIS, Tesoro said, Garcia wanted him to go and be part of the bidding process for all the agency’s field offices as senior vice president for field operations, which was in charge of all 40 GSIS branches.

He said he signed the Embrocal contract in Iloilo on Nov. 25, 2003, but had received Garcia’s order, dated Nov. 24, 2003, removing him from the field offices department only on Nov. 27, 2003. Tesoro had worked in GSIS for 32 years.

The GSIS board of trustees issued Resolution No. 118 ordering Tesoro’s dismissal after he was found guilty of gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct. Garcia also filed administrative charges against Tesoro after Tesoro had approved and signed the mobilization fund for Embrocal, the highest bidder for the field office construction project.

The dismissed GSIS vice president also said he was suspended for 90 days without an investigation into the case prior to his dismissal. He has filed a motion for reconsideration before the GSIS legal office and the Court of Appeals following his dismissal.

Tesoro defended his actions, saying Embrocal had submitted a bid of P55 million for the project, which was expected to cost P57 million.

Tesoro added that he cannot be charged with gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct because he was already in another department, citing his reassignment notice from Garcia.

"I don’t know why (Garcia) is persecuting me," he said in a telephone interview, though he admitted he had disagreements with Garcia on policy, including the processing of claims and loans.

Garcia’s desire to computerize the GSIS also met with opposition from Tesoro, who said the GSIS chief "insisted that I assign the project to the highest bidder, but there is a policy that it can be allowed to the lowest but responsive bidder."

The two lowest bidders for the Iloilo field office construction project were disqualified after the bids and awards committee set a floor price for the bids. Both bidders filed formal protests and Tesoro was reassigned.

Garcia blamed Tesoro for failing to review the bidding process and the bids and awards committee’s recommendation, thus causing the GSIS to lose the P8.3 million it paid to Embrocal as a mobilization fee.