Mining bureau regional exec seeks end to ‘floating’ status

SURIGAO CITY, Philippines—While he does nothing, Roger De Dios technically remains director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in the Caraga region, reporting to the office every day and drawing his salary every month since he was relieved over a year ago.

“I can’t even distinguish work from vacation nowadays,” De Dios, a mining engineer by training, said in an interview Monday.

De Dios said being on floating status for over a year has caused “severe setbacks” in his career.

MGB Director Leo Jasareno removed De Dios’ signing authority and barred him from performing other administrative functions on May 2013. Nonetheless, he remains the MGB’s Caraga regional director but, being unable to sign papers — even the employees’ payroll — the position is only on paper.

Jasareno made himself regional director for Caraga on a concurrent basis and has since appointed dozens of rotating officers-in-charge to sign papers and perform administrative tasks in his behalf.

Jasareno’s suspension of De Dios’ signing authority stemmed from the latter’s refusal to heed an order that barred him from granting ore transport permits to a mining company. De Dios argued he was merely following a court order which directed him to issue such a permit to Shuley Mine Inc. on the island of Nonoc.

De Dios petitioned the Civil Service Commission to invalidate Jasareno’s order, arguing that the MGB chief did not accord him due process. He added that Jasareno failed to consider that he was acting on a court order, which he argued was superior to the MGB director’s order.

Also, De Dios asked the Commission on Elections to void Jasareno’s order, saying it was illegal because it fell within the election ban.

In urgent motions he filed recently, copies of which were furnished to the Inquirer, De Dios urged the Civil Service Commission and the Comelec to resolve the issue immediately.

De Dios noted that the Comelec case has been deemed “concluded” since January this year following the “submission of the required pleadings, affidavits and evidence of the parties.”

“Since it has already been four months since the preliminary investigation was concluded, complainant is respectfully moving for the immediate resolution of the case,” he pleaded with the Comelec.

He stressed that to demand “expeditious action” on his case was a constitutional right.

Likewise, De Dios appealed to the CSC to resolve his case as it has been seven months since Jasareno, the respondent, filed his reply.

He reminded the CSC of the agency’s mandate to act on written requests or petitions from any citizen “15 working days from receipt thereof.”

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