BACOLOD City – An engineer assigned to the Office of the Building Official (OBO) has been placed under a 90-day preventive suspension after a formal charge was filed against him before the City Legal Office (CLO).
The regular employee, whose name Panay News is withholding pending his comment on the charges, is facing accusations of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, violation of Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
City Legal Officer Atty. Karol Joseph Chiu said the suspension was issued pursuant to Rule VIII, Section 52 of the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service (RRACCS). Considering the seriousness of the charges and the risks posed by the respondent’s continued presence at work, Mayor Greg Gasataya ordered the filing of the formal charge and the preventive suspension dated August 11, 2025.
In July, the City Mayor’s Office had directed the engineer — who previously served as OBO head — to explain within 72 hours why no disciplinary action should be taken against him following a complaint received by the CMO.
According to the complaint,, on June 30, 2025, the engineer allegedly instructed a job order employee of the OBO to approve and clear the business permit application of a commercial space rental establishment in Barangay Mansilingan despite the absence of a duly issued Certificate of Occupancy.
An incident report from the OBO revealed that the application did not undergo the standard processing protocol. It lacked a logbook entry and endorsement from the designated officer in charge of referring applications for inspection. Instead, the engineer allegedly inserted the application into the processing line and ordered the job order employee to clear it, bypassing internal controls.
The complaint further alleged that on June 28, 2025, the engineer demanded P13,000 from a staff member of the establishment through a phone call, later lowering the amount to P11,000 in exchange for the release of the occupancy permit. On June 30, the P11,000 was reportedly delivered and acknowledged in writing by the engineer.
Under the 2017 RRACCS, grave misconduct and serious dishonesty are punishable by dismissal from service, with accessory penalties including cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification from government employment.
Chiu said the respondent has been given 10 calendar days from receipt of the order to file a verified answer or counter-affidavit under oath, along with supporting documents, witness affidavits, and other evidence.
Should the engineer be exonerated, the city government will pay him back wages./PN
