5 DENR officers dismissed, another one suspended

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elisea Gozun has dismissed five provincial officers of the department and suspended another for alleged corruption and violation of the code of ethics for government employees.

Gozun identified those discharged from the service as Ifugao provincial environment and natural resources officer (PENRO) Edgar Pambid and his staffer Francis Marquez; Luther Fabia and Florecita Ballester of the DENR office in Basco, Batanes; and Davao City Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) officer Edgardo Castillo.

Meanwhile, Gozun placed Samar PENRO Ranulfo Arbiol under a 90-day preventive suspension due to prima facie evidence that he allegedly solicited money and issued tree-cutting and transport permits without proper documents, resulting in the irregular harvest and transport of an undetermined volume of timber in the province.

Gozun said Arbiol faces a formal investigation.

In a statement, the DENR said Pambid, the most senior among the five DENR officers discharged, was found guilty of allegedly soliciting 10 percent commission of about P45,000 from six holders of reforestation contracts in Ifugao.

During the investigation, Marquez was also found to have allegedly acted as Pambid’s go-between.

Castillo, on the other hand, was caught in the act of receiving some P3,000 from an applicant of an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) during a police entrapment in a restaurant in Davao City.

Gozun said the ECC applicant, who was involved in a quarrying project, sought police help after Castillo allegedly demanded the amount from him in exchange for a swift issuance of the ECC.

Gozun signed the order on Castillo’s dismissal from the service last March 24.

Meanwhile, Ballester and Fabia, the DENR-Batanes human resource management officer and administrative officer, respectively, were sacked for unofficially using a DENR-issued Mitsubishi pick-up worth P1.64 million.

Gozun said the vehicle was turned over to the two officers, who were supposed to bring it to Batanes.

Ballester and Fabia even flew to Manila in June 1993 to claim it from the DENR central offices in Quezon City, the DENR said.

However, investigation showed that the two apparently failed to immediately ferry the pick-up to Batanes. They did so only after a year later with the vehicle already with a mileage of 3,443 kilometers.

DENR investigators spotted the vehicle parked in front of Ballester’s residence in Cubao, Quezon City several times, and also at her relative’s house in Parañaque.

The pick-up was also spotted parked in front of Fabia’s house in Fairview, Quezon City.

Further, DENR investigators also discovered that the vehicle’s four-wheel transmission was converted into the standard two-wheel system after it suffered a major damage in its crankcase.

Ballester and Fabia were ordered to pay the damage to the vehicle amounting to P124,234.