DAVAO CITY—Nine employees of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Davao region have been indicted on charges of falsification of public documents, said Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao, Rodolfo Elman.
The nine employees were identified as Assistant Regional Director for Administration Mila Segovia; Administrative Officer III Raffy Mag-Aso; finance analysts Ricardo Abad II, Marife Tan, Cris Anne Pormento, Mary Jane Adlawana and Pompa Bandigan; and consultants Ma. Annabelle Jabla and Santos Eusebio Jr.
Elman said the nine DSWD employees face charges in relation to the construction of bunkhouses for the families hit by Typhoon “Pablo” in 2012, in Compostela Valley Province and Davao Oriental.
He said they found that laborers supposedly contracted to build the bunkhouses did not sign documents such as labor agreements, job orders and book payrolls.
Mag-Aso, Adlawan and Segovia were also found administratively liable for the same offense, for serious dishonesty and for conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and a penalty of dismissal from the service was imposed on them.
Elman said he has asked Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo to implement the dismissal order of the Ombudsman on the three officers of the DSWD.
“I asked her to implement [the order] considering that one of the respondents is holding a high position,” he said.
If the respondents were not satisfied with the decision they can file a motion for reconsideration before the Court of Appeals, Elman said. The respondents were given 10 days upon receipt of the order to file a motion.