ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas’ executive assistants and department heads denied coercing, oppressing or threatening a regular city government employee who was reassigned to the dumpsite in Barangay Calajunan, Mandurriao district from the city registry office at city hall.
Executive Assistant Rudiver Jungco Sr. said he could not recall having told Joe Mari Esteral, “Cooperate ka tani, pre…Buligi lang kami ma-pin down ang mga Manikan. Balik ka dayon sa mother unit mo. Balik man si misis mo.”
Jungco was one of seven city officials Esteral complained before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged grave coercion, grave misconduct, oppression, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and unfair discrimination due to affiliation.
According to Jungco, it had been almost a month since he last interacted with Esteral at city hall.
He said he simply asked Esteral how he was doing at the civil registry office.
“Siling ko kumusta ka da sa opisina mo? Daw joke-joke pa gani ang tono…siling ko kasikat na gid sang opisina niyo. Ano gakatabo da?” said Jungco.
He also remembered telling Esteral, “Ti kon may nabal-an ka da nga kon ano mas better nga isugid mo ang tuod eh para indi ka na ya maulamid.”
The other respondents in Esteral’s Ombudsman complaint were Mayor Treñas, 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, and another Treñas executive assistant, Fernando Jose Rico.
According to Esteral his reassignment which took effect on Aug. 20 was inconsistent with his mandated duties as Bookbinder II.
Jungco wondered why Esteral complained only now. He believed there was somebody else behind the filing of the complaint.
Ampig, on the other hand, declined to comment but said it was within Esteral’s rights to file a complaint.
Esteral stated in his complaint that he learned about his reassignment from Sartorio.
Sartorio, he claimed, told him, “Jom, bal-an mo na gid na, Jom. Sa babaw na. Wala ko mahimo. Akig gid si Mayor kag si Melchor kay boss mo Johncee. Siguro damay ka lang di, pero kay boss mo gid sila akig kag sa ila grupo.”
“I was ordered re-assigned not in the name of public service but because of politics or because of the recently concluded election or my affiliation to Mr. Romeo C.L. Manikan, my then boss at the City Registrar’s Office,” read part of Esteral’s complaint-affidavit.
Treñas said, “Mahulat na lang ko ‘ya. Kon pasabton kita, ti masabat kita.”
However, he stressed he does not know Esteral personally and had not talked to him.
For his part, Rico said he merely asked Esteral if the corruption allegations against the civil registry office were true.
“Akon panagupnop may tawo sa likod sini nga i-embarrass kami. Kami pa gani gina-harass kay te waay gid kami ka amo sina sa iya,” said Rico.
He claimed it was Esteral who asked him for help.
“Indi nga ako nagpatawag sa iya, siya nagpalapit sa akon. Nanawag ako sa iya kon kamusta na siya sa Calajunan, hambal niya, ‘Sir, buligi ko bi.’ Nag-istorya kami. Namangkot ko kamusta sa local civil registry office,” said Rico.
Sartorio, on the other hand, refused to comment except to say he was saddened because of the “stereotyping” of the work at the Calajunan dumpsite./PN
