Puerto Princesa Mayor Lucilo Bayron (Photo from the Facebook page of Mr. Bayron)
MANILA — A new twist has emerged in the grave misconduct and serious dishonesty case hounding Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo Bayron weeks after Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered his dismissal from public office.
The city employee found to have been illegally reassigned by Bayron’s son Karl came forward this week to deny one of the Ombudsman’s key findings for dismissing the Bayrons from public office.
Morales earlier ruled the Bayrons guilty of grave misconduct for violating Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circulars No. 26 and 26-A, series of 1997.
These rules prohibit non-career officials like Karl, who was hired as a project manager for the city’s environmental watchdog Bantay Puerto, from exercising supervision over regular and career personnel.
However, in an affidavit dated Jan. 28, Rigor Cobarrubias denied that Karl detailed him to the City Traffic Management Office.
In an affidavit released to media by Bayron’s camp, Cobarrubias said he was the one who requested Mayor Bayron, not Karl, to transfer him to the traffic office in September 2013 after working for the Bantay Puerto Program Night Patrol since July.
“My reassignment to the City Traffic Management Office arose from the designation by Mayor Lucilo R. Bayron himself and Karl Bayron has nothing to do with it,” read the Tagalog-language affidavit.
Cobarrubias also denied having ever been a regular or career employee, saying he was a job order employee as attested to by certifications from the city hall that he attached to his statement.
He said he did not know of the Office Order No. 001, dated July 1, 2013 and purportedly signed by Karl, that ordered his reassignment and served as one of the bases for the Ombudsman’s finding of grave misconduct.
The issue regarding Cobarrubias’ reassignment was not the only one cited by the Ombudsman.
Morales also ruled the Bayrons were guilty of grave misconduct and serious dishonesty when they allegedly concealed their relationship in the contract of service for Karl’s engagement as Bantay Puerto project manager.
The July 1, 2013 contract of service with the younger Bayron specifically stated that he “is not related within the fourth degree of consanguinity/affinity with the Hiring Authority.”
Morales rejected the Bayrons’ defense that they had no obligation to disclose their relationship because Karl was not considered a public officer by virtue of his “primarily confidential position.” SFM