ILOILO City – Criminal and administrative charges filed against him and several ranking city hall officials were attempts to disrupt city government services, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas.
He won’t let that happen, he stressed.
“If they think they can disrupt our work, I am sorry to say they have a big problem,” Treñas told city hall reporters yesterday.
Treñas had been slapped with another complaint at the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged grave coercion, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, grave misconduct, oppression, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
The complainant was Special Operations Officer III Rosita Camacho of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs who claimed she was forced to take a leave of absence.
The city mayor assured the public that the city government would continue to function as it should.
But certain people at city hall should be held accountable for, among others, electioneering, he stressed.
“Duha ka bagay ang indi ko gid mapatawad – electioneering in so far as regular employees are concerned, and corruption,” said Treñas.
During the midterm election campaign, Camacho got the ire of Treñas who called her a mayordoma of his rival for mayor, then incumbent mayor Jose Espinosa III, his brother-in-law.
Aside from Camacho, two other city government workers accused Treñas before the Ombudsman of grave coercion, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, grave misconduct, oppression, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. They were bookbinder Joe Mari Esteral of the civil registry office and Dr. Bernard Caspe, City Health Office chief.
Caspe claimed Treñas suspected him of campaigning for Espinosa in the May midterm elections and subsequently pressured him to resign.
Esteral, on the other hand, complained he was reassigned to the city’s dumpsite and that he was being pressured to turn against his immediate superior, City Civil Registrar Romeo Caesar Manikan Jr. who faces investigation for alleged irregularities in the civil registry office such as registration of “fake” marriages.
Treñas belied the complaints.
“Sin-o mapwersa? Ano pagpwersa mo? Magsiling ka pwersa, ginapilit ka magpirma. Sin-o nagpilit sa ila magpirma,” said Treñas.
He added: “Ako ‘ya kon ano gusto nila atubangay man kami. My conscience is clear.”
Other city government officials charged before the Ombudsman were City Administrator Melchor Tan, City General Services Office head Joren Sartorio, City Legal Officer Edgardo Gil, Iloilo City Civil Registry assistant department head Cherry Ampig, Treñas’ executive assistants Fernando Jose Rico and Rudiver Junco Sr./PN
