Echiverri bucks suspension order

MANILA, Philippines -  A defiant Caloocan City Mayor Enrico “Recom” Echiverri said yesterday he is not stepping down from his post even as the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday ordered him suspended on charges of grave misconduct for alleged non-payment of the city employees’ premiums to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Echiverri, in a press conference at the city hall attended by his supporters, said the Ombudsman committed an injustice and erred in ordering the suspension. He called Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro’s order plainly “railroaded, baseless and highly irregular.”

In a petition filed yesterday morning, Echiverri asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to issue a temporary restraining order, alleging that the Ombudsman committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction in ordering his suspension.

His petition was raffled off to the CA’s 14th division and assigned to Associate Justice Agnes Reyes-Carpio, the mother-in-law of controversial Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

Associate Justices Fernanda Lampas-Peralta and Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla will join Carpio in resolving the case.

Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said they have referred Echiverri’s case to the DILG’s legal service.

“Following procedures, this (order) will be implemented within five days” unless there is another court order, he said.

Robredo said Echiverri will be replaced by Vice Mayor Edgar Erice.

The mayor said he has not even received a copy of the complaint, which he claimed was irregular. Echiverri said he was shocked to learn about the suspension order since his administration has continued to pay employees’ contributions to the GSIS.

The six-month suspension stemmed from a case filed against him by Erice last July 11. Casimiro granted Erice’s petition last Sunday.

Erice charged Echiverri and three other top city officials with non-payment of the employees’ contribution to GSIS amounting to over P343 million.

Echiverri said he has not been remiss in paying the obligation, something he only inherited from the past two administrations (of former mayors Macario “Boy” Asistio Jr. and Reynaldo Malonzo) since taking over as mayor in 2004.

GSIS, Caloocan form ‘reconciliation team’

Echiverri said records will show that he has been in communication with GSIS to settle the obligation. He said he and GSIS president and general manager Roberto Vergara, on Feb.7, reached an agreement to form a “reconciliation team” to focus on the problem.

He said the suspension came at a time when his administration was making a serious effort to reconcile their records, which did not match. He said the GSIS failed to make the necessary adjustments.

“We want to straighten out the records since the GSIS had been erroneously seeking payment for employees in their list who were already dead, retired, transferred with finished terms, resigned, dropped from the rolls, including those with wrong names,” Echiverri said.

He pointed out that his administration has long been in talks with the agency in coming up with a doable and easy-payment scheme to settle the obligation, from which he was not running away.

“Let justice prevail here, “ Echiverri asked the Ombudsman, adding that if they only looked, they would have found out that a payment adjustment and reconciliation of records are currently going on.

Named as Echiverri’s co-respondents are city treasurer Evelina Garma, city budget officer Jesusa Garcia and city accountant Edna Centeno. – With Edu Punay, Cecille Suerte Felipe