ILOILO City – The city government employee who defied the reassignment order of Mayor Jerry Treñas has been slapped with a 60-day suspension while facing investigation for gross insubordination, grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.
Joe Marie Esteral, a civil registry office bookbinder who was reassigned to the city’s dumpsite in Barangay Calajunan, Mandurriao district, received the suspension order on Sept. 25. He started serving his suspension the next day.
“For every action, there is a legal reaction,” said Treñas.
Esteral was reassigned to the dumpsite in August. On Sept. 19, he returned to the civil registry office even without an order to do so.
“I have created a team that will investigate this and other infractions of the law,” Treñas told city hall reporters.
Read part of Treñas’ formal charge as disciplining authority: “Upon evaluation of available records or documents, and after due consideration of the foregoing, the undersigned finds that prima facie case exists against Joe Marie Esteral for committing gross insubordination, grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.”
Esteral’s refusal to obey the reassignment order and his unilateral return to his mother unit amounted to gross insubordination which warranted disciplinary action, Treñas stressed.
Esteral’s suspension came a week after he hauled Treñas to the Office of the Ombudsman for grave coercion, grave misconduct, oppression, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and unfair discrimination due to affiliation.
“The failure and refusal of Esteral to report to the office or unit where he was assigned constitute flagrant and palpable of breach of duty because it amounts to defiance of a lawful and valid order issued, which order enjoys and presumption of regularity,” according to Treñas.
Esteral slammed his suspension. He described it as “panghingabot.”
“I would not have filed a complaint before the Ombudsman had they not thrown me to the Calajunan dumpsite to count garbage trucks,” he said.
Esteral wondered how he would be able to support his family for two months.
“Wala gid ako gaintra sa pulitika, ngaa amo ini ang gakalatabo,” he said.
The other respondents in Esteral’s Ombudsman complaint 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, and Treñas’ executive assistants Fernando Jose Rico and Rudiver Junco Sr.
According to Esteral, his reassignment which took effect on Aug. 20 was inconsistent with his mandated duties as Bookbinder II.
He learned about his reassignment from Sartorio, he stated in his complaint.
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.
Esteral further claimed that on Aug. 30, Junco and Rico talked to him.
“Cooperate ka tani, pre,” he quoted Junco as allegedly telling him.
Rico, on the other hand, asked him, “Ano nabal-an mo sa mga anomaliya ni Manikan? Dala ka di sa kaso,” he stated in his Ombudsman complaint.
According to Esteral, Junco further told him, “Buligi lang kami ma-pin down ang mga Manikan! Balik ka dayon sa mother unit mo. Balik man si misis mo.”
The city government officials Esteral named in his Ombudsman complaint denied his accusation./PN
