20 Maguindanao provincial board employees fired

SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao, Philippines – Maguindanao Vice Gov. Dustin Mastura has fired some 20 employees of the provincial board as his first official act when he found out that their appointments were illegal.

The appointments were found to have been signed by unauthorized people who merely sat as caretakers of the province after the Nov. 23 massacre in Ampatuan town.

Mastura said he had to use diplomacy in making the sacked employees realize that he had to ensure that the provincial board operates properly in accordance with existing civil service and government accounting rules.

The employees who were removed from the payroll of the provincial board were appointed by Inah Ambolodto and Gani Biruar, who assumed as acting governor consecutively after the province was placed under a state of emergency following the massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan town.

“They were just mere caretakers and thus, did not have the power to appoint. I inherited something that I need to address squarely using diplomacy,” Mastura said.

Mastura said coterminous employees were also asked to submit resignation letters.

“They can re-apply if they want to. We will evaluate their previous performance and qualifications and then decide on whether to take them back or not,” he said.

Mastura said he and Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu are extra cautious in reorganizing their respective offices to avoid speculations they are persecuting employees appointed by detained former governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.

Mastura has been temporarily holding office at the Sultan Kudarat town hall while he and Mangudadatu are still working out the rehabilitation of the old provincial capitol in Simuay district, about two kilometers away.