Angeles politicians clash over job hiring

ANGELES CITY—A tabloid reporter has sued Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan, three city officials and several department heads at the Ombudsman for Luzon for supposed violations of the antigraft law when the city government hired 2,506 personnel through job orders.

In a statement, Pamintuan described the move as “clearly politically motivated.”

A copy of the complaint filed by Robledo Sanchez on Oct. 19 was released to reporters on Sunday by the media bureau of Pampanga Rep. Carmelo Lazatin, who is challenging Pamintuan’s bid for a second term in the May 2013 elections.

Lazatin, through his spokesperson IC Calaguas, denied instigating the case. “The issue is to our advantage, but we are not helping [Sanchez],” she said.

Pamintuan called Sanchez a “hireling of Lazatin.”

City accountant Wilfredo Tiotuico, budget officer Fe Corpuz and treasurer Juliet Quinsaat were named respondents in the case.

Getting back

In a phone interview, Sanchez said he filed the case “to get back at Pamintuan’s ill-treatment of me.” He said he was not allowed to enter the mayor’s office and his house on two occasions when he was seeking help for a person needing medical care.

The complainant, who writes for Police Files Tonite, said the hiring of personnel through job orders violated guidelines of the Civil Service Commission, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (Republic Act No. 3019), and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Public Officials and Employees (RA 6713).

Job order personnel are paid on a daily basis and do not receive benefits.

“Most, if not all, local governments as well as national government agencies resort to hiring job orders and contract of service employees because of the limited number of plantilla positions, particularly if a local government is implementing many programs and projects,” Pamintuan said.

He confirmed the number of job order employees but said Lazatin also resorted to this practice when he was mayor. They work in eight programs with 27 components, with many of them hired during the Lazatin administration, he said.

“All the job orders we hired are doing specific tasks from being street sweepers, traffic enforcers, market guards, day care workers, barangay health workers, hospital staff, fiscal and court personnel to program heads. Many of [them] work on the field as street sweepers, traffic aides, garbage collectors, sanitary workers, among others. Not all are working in the offices of the City Hall,” Pamintuan said.

Their contracts last for three to six months, he said. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon