Davao City—The city government on Wednesday vowed not to tolerate erring employees regardless of their position in the public service.
This was after video of a driver of the Office of the City Building Official, under the City Engineer’s Office, went viral for illegally parking a city vehicle and blocking several privately owned cars while he was dining in a restaurant.
The driver was later identified as Roberto Limboy, a job-order employee of the city.
City Administrator Zuleika T. Lopez said a memo was already issued to investigate the matter.
“I have already instructed the Human Resource and Management Office to conduct an investigation with regard to the issue and to pass a recommendation of the possible punishment that the driver will face,” Lopez said.
She said the incident served as a reminder to all government employees to always act with professionalism, especially since their actions will reflect the image of the city government.
Lopez noted that city government employees should go the extra mile in doing courtesies to the public especially since Davao City has too many tourists and visiting business investors.
“It is our responsibility to market what Davao can offer. I strongly encouraged the employees to participate by exhibiting exemplary behavior in dealing other people,” Lopez stressed.
Erwin Alparaque, HRMO head, said he already summoned the Office of the City Building Official to advise Limboy to report immediately to his office.
However, Limboy has been absent since the incident went viral.
“I want to hear the other side of the story. Limboy will explain himself first before we make any decision. There might be some misunderstanding that leads to the fateful incident,” Alparaque said.
“It is a basic knowledge that a driver should park his vehicle properly, especially when he is a government driver. He himself should follow the law, since his action will reflect the image of the city,” he added.
Alparaque said the worst Limboy could face is termination, once the outcome of the investigation is not favorable to him.
Limboy explained to his immediate head, engineer Grace Catubig, that he was helping a barangay captain and a village councilor conduct an inspection before the incident was recorded.
The councilor offered to look after the vehicle for a moment while Limboy and the group were dining inside.
Facebook user Frances Hera Regalado posted the incident on social media, which immediately reached the ears of the city government officials.