NEWS BRIEFS
City hall employee reinstated
THE Court of Appeals (CA) ordered the reinstatement of a Cebu City Hall employee who was terminated in 2003 for going absent without leave.
Associate Justice Gabriel Ingles also ordered the city government to pay back wages and benefits to Ma. Josefa Abella from the time she was terminated on Sept. 15, 2003 until her reinstatement.
Abella was ordered dropped from City Hall’s rolls of employees after she was absent for over 30 days without leave during the administration of then mayor Tomas Osmeña..
The mayor’s office said Abella was “blatantly and grossly negligent” in not securing an approved leave of absence.
Abella, a single parent of four children, sought a reconsideration.
The city government referred the Notice of Absence Without Leave (AWOL) to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in Central Visayas.
The CSC-7 found Abella’s appeal “meritorious” and ordered her reinstatement, prompting the Cebu city government to appeal the case.
The court said the petition “lacks merit.” Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol
COA questions insurance for health workers
WHY did the Capitol provide insurance coverage for its health department employees and barangay health workers from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) worth P1.6 million?
The Commission On Audit (COA) Cebu wants to know after it found deficiencies in the insurance coverage.
The remarks were contained in an Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) dated April 23 addressed to Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale.
They said the insurance coverage had no legal basis because PCIC is a government corporation that provides insurance protection to the country’s agricultural producers, specifically farmers.
The Capitol availed of insurance coverage worth P1.6 million for its 44, 854 barangay officials, tanods, lupon members, barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars and day care workers, the COA said.
All Capitol department heads and Magpale met with COA officials for an exit conference to explain the deficiencies that state auditors noted in the present administration. Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos
LP-Cebu receives visitors from rival camps
LIBERAL Party Cebu (LP-Cebu) officials and allies received visitors from opposing camps in their victory party held at the White Gold House at Maxilom Avenue in Cebu City last Sunday evening.
One of them is outgoing Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez who won a seat in the City Council under the local ruling Alayon party last month.
Fernandez shook hands with Talisay Mayor-elect Johnny delos Reyes and sat at the same table.
Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale said Fernandez also thanked her for looking after the welfare of his son Joavan Fernandez, who was detained on illegal firearms possession charges at the Cebu provincial jail.
Cebu Gov.-elect Hilario Davide III said Fernandez lent his support to his incoming administration. Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos
