Ombudsman suspends accountant, labor officer

The Ombudsman has suspended a Parañaque City accountant and a labor officer in Region IV-B, pending the results of investigations into alleged irregularities in their work as government employees. Marilou Calugay Tanael, a Parañaque City accountant, was charged with "serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service for allegedly amassing wealth beyond her means." Tanael allegedly amassed income amounting to P3,897,554.57 from 1996 to 2006. The figure was disproportionate to her lawful income, according to the Ombudsman. Tanael has held the following positions: municipal government department head from November 1994 to May 1999 with a monthly salary of P12,085 to P19,218; and city accountant from June 1999 to February 2007 with a monthly salary of P21,213 to P26,118. She also failed to file her statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth for the years 1994, 1997, and 1998, the Ombudsman said. Meanwhile, Erlinda Villegas, a Department of Labor and Employment official in Region IV-B, was charged with "gross insubordination, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave misconduct, dishonesty, and other violations of the Civil Service Law and Rules and Regulations by the Resident Ombudsman of [the Labor Department]." According to the Ombudsman, Villegas tampered with her daily time records from March 2005 to September 2006, and disregarded a memorandum issued by her supervisors requiring her to use the bundy clock during lunchtime. The Ombudsman also said that Villegas went abroad on four different occasions from 2005 to 2006 without securing authority to travel, yet her time records showed she was present in office during those unauthorized trips. Moreover, when Villegas applied for the chief labor employment officer position, she falsely indicated in her personal data sheet that she graduated with a Masters in Public Administration from Wesleyan University-Manila, the Ombudsman noted. But documents from the Commission on Higher Education indicated that the school has no government authority to operate graduate programs. — JE/LRS/VS, GMANews.TV