Osmeña sacks city social welfare head

CEBU CITY — Almost six months since the controversy over the stocks of rotten sardines erupted, Mayor Tomas Osmeña finally sacked the head of the city’ department of social welfare and services, who was allegedly responsible for the questionable disposal of the relief goods.

Acting city administrator Francisco Fernandez told The Freeman that Osmeña signed last Wednesday the order relieving Nida Sistona of her position.

Sistona’s relief had something to do with the irregular disposal of the rotten sardines that were supposed to be distributed as relief goods, Fernandez said.

Sistona’s relief takes effect today. Osmeña has designated his own secretary, Catherine Yso, to replace Sistona in an acting capacity. Sistona, for her part, will be relegated as Yso’s assistant chief.

"Yso has the full confidence of the mayor," Fernandez said.

Osmeña had planned to effect the changes at the social welfare department as early as November last year.

Last Aug. 25, councilor Gerardo Carillo, social services committee chairman, exposed the department’s irregular disposal of 200 canned sardines on Nov. 21, 2003.

Carillo said another sack full of sardines was buried at the social development center (SDC) on July 3, 2004 in the absence of a representative of the city auditor’s office.

Former SDC social worker Virginia Piccio admitted taking part in burying the sardines, with the help of social welfare aide Marites Tomaquin and a former security guard, upon the instructions of Sistona.

In an inspection after Carillo’s exposé, a total of 2,300 canned goods and bottled water stockpiled at the SDC were found no longer fit for human consumption.

The Ombudsman took cognizance of the case last Aug. 31, and director Virginia Santiago-Palanca questioned why the relief goods were not distributed to the intended beneficiaries before they rotted. — Freeman News Service