Govt employees' union lauds DILG finding vs Duterte-Carpio

Government employees’ umbrella organization, COURAGE, has urged Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo to “immediately wrap up its case" on Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. Robredo said the fact-finding committee he tasked to probe the punching incident between the mayor and court sheriff Abe Andres found Duterte-Carpio liable for “conduct unbecoming of a public official." The ad-hoc committee said in a report to Robredo that the Davao City mayor’s “acts of preventing the execution of the Order of Judge Carpio, particularly when she punched Sheriff Andres, could be an act of misconduct." COURAGE or Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees said in a statement that Duterte-Carpio’s physical assault on Sheriff Andres is a “wanton, over-display of power" that cannot be justified “no matter how noble her intentions may have been." The Revised Uniform Rules in Administrative Cases in the Civil Service provides the system for grounds, penalties and remedies in administrative cases involving civil servants like Duterte-Carpio. “Conduct unbecoming of a public official" is not a specific charge in these rules but there is a violation called “conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service" which carries a penalty of suspension of six months and one day to one year for the first offense. A second offense has the penalty of dismissal. These civil service rules do provide, however, for dismissal on the first offense of grave misconduct. The Local Government Code of 1991 has an entire chapter on disciplinary actions. Again, “conduct unbecoming of a public official" is not listed, but there is a catch-all clause saying “Such other grounds as may be provided in this Code and other laws" in Chapter IV. — With Earl Rosero/VS, GMA News