Muntinlupa mayor denies execs quit to campaign for him

MANILA, Philippines - Re-electionist Muntinlupa City Mayor Aldrin San Pedro denied yesterday that department heads, who resigned or went on indefinite leave to campaign for him, are still on the city government’s payroll.

“Definitely, that’s not true,” he told The STAR in a phone interview.

San Pedro said issuing salaries to city hall officials and employees who have resigned or gone on leave is against Civil Service Commission rules. “That can be checked by the CSC. That’s very easy for them to do by looking at our payroll records,” he said.

According to earlier reports, sources said the officials appointed by San Pedro tendered their resignation or filed a leave of absence before the official campaign period started, but these documents are reportedly just for show and they continue to get their salary.

A source told The STAR that a city department head gets a salary of P60,000 a month, excluding perks.

San Pedro also said he sees nothing wrong with these officials going on leave or resigning to campaign for him. “They do so because they believe in me,” he said.

San Pedro is running for his third term as mayor under the United Nationalist Alliance against former mayor Jaime Fresnedi, who he defeated in the 2010 elections.

Binay bats for San Pedro

Vice President Jejomar Binay urged Muntinlupa residents to re-elect San Pedro, saying that the mayor has made the city one of the most progressive in the country.

Binay said since San Pedro assumed office in 2007, Muntinlupa has become a model city in the country. “I’ve seen how hardworking Mayor San Pedro is… Muntinlupa needs him to continue what he has achieved in the last six years,” he said in a statement.

According to the statement, under San Pedro’s administration, Muntinlupa’s income from 2008 to 2012 increased to P9.86 billion, almost twice the amount compared to what the city earned during the time of Fresnedi from 2002 to 2006.

The Civil Service Commission recently lauded Mayor San Pedro for his anti-red tape program in the city government.