Roderick, Calalay sacked over ‘ghost’ employees

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the dismissal from government service of Quezon City Rep. Francisco Calalay Jr. and Councilor and actor Roderick Paulate for maintaining “ghost” employees in the city government’s payroll in 2010.

Both men, along with their staff Flordeliza Alvarez and Vicente Bajamunde, were found guilty of the administrative offenses of falsification of official documents, serious dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and grave misconduct.

Apart from dismissal from government service, they were also slapped with the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, cancellation of civil service eligibility and forfeiture of retirement benefits.  

In July 2012, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales issued six-month preventive suspension orders against them and their liason officers while the investigation was ongoing.

The case stemmed from allegations that Calalay, who was then a city councilor, and Paulate authorized the hiring of 29 and 30 job order personnel respectively, and paid them monthly salaries ranging from P5,000 to P10,000 as field inspectors, district coordinators and office aides. 

Barangay chairmen, barangay employees and some residents of the place where the contractual employees supposedly reside swore the employees were not residents, that they were not found at their declared addresses and they  are not registered voters in the barangay.

Alvarez and Bajamunde were authorized to receive the salaries of the job order personnel while Calalay and Paulate would issue certifications that the job contractors rendered actual service, the ombudsman said.

The Office of the Ombudsman earlier said Calalay disbursed a total of P2,175,000 in wages while Paulate disbursed a total of P1,125,000 “through the submission of spurious personal data sheets and payrolls.”

Both officials told ombudsman probers they “relied on the endorsements of their staff and coordinators” but the anti-graft agency rejected their reasoning.

“They... failed to satisfactorily explain why each job contractor had different signatures appearing in the subject payrolls,” the decision dismissing Calalay and Paulate, along with their staff, read.

Morales said “the falsified payrolls would not have been realized were it not for the principal participation of their superiors Calalay and Paulate as Quezon City councilors.”

Morales said, “Calalay and Paulate took advantage of their official positions as city councilors” as their actions “lead to no other conclusion but that they actually caused the hiring of ghost employees in their offices.”

Paulate’s office declined to comment on his dismissal order.  He was not available for comment yesterday, but a staff member said they have yet to receive a copy of the order. 

Paulate is a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition and belongs to the administration coalition of Mayor Herbert Bautista who is a Liberal Party (LP) member.

He is running for reelection in the 2016 elections under the administration slate. 

Calalay is a member of the LP. – With Janvic Mateo