Tejero fights back, sues five teachers

By NITZ ARANCON
and LITO RULONA
Correspondents

EMBATTLED City Central School principal Arnold  Tejero and his aide on Tuesday pressed charges against a group of teachers in a move seen to counter the complaints that have been piling up against them.

Dr. Tejero and assistant principal Rudy Villalobos filed the complaint for malversation of public funds, graft, grave misconduct, gross dishonesty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service against five CCS teachers.

Slapped with the complaint were teachers Cornelio Salvaloza Jr., Merlyn Olarte, Ma. Gemma Arrabis, Dolita Payat, and Hospecia Morga.

The complainants accused the teachers of failing to account for P44.3 92 million in speculative cooperative funds since the time when lawyer Pablo Magtajas was still serving as the city’s mayor.

Salvaloza chaired the City Central District Multi-Purpose Cooperative while the other teachers served as members of the cooperative’s board. It is unclear if Salvaloza and Co. held positions in the cooperative during the Magtajas administration or if they were already its members at that time.

Tejero and Villalobos also accused the teachers of failing to account for some P2 million in public funds that were released to the cooperative by through the offices of the then mayor Magtajas, the then congressman Erasmo Damasing Jr., and the then senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr..

Tejero said Pimentel, Damasing and Magtajas gave the cooperative funds for capitalization so that it could operate the campus canteen and grant loans to members, among others.

The complaint was filed before the Office of the Ombudsman where Tejero was earlier accused of acts of lasciviousness, misconduct and abuse of authority by the mother of a 5th grader who alleged that the principal brought her to a motel and tried to be intimate with here inside.

Another alleged victim, a teacher, told the city council’s education committee on Saturday that she also filed a sexual harassment complaint against Tejero before the Office of the Ombudsman.

The women’s complaints, according to Tejero in earlier interviews, were part of a smear campaign against him, and he accused teachers of being behind his legal problems.

Tejero said the teachers were unhappy with the reforms he introduced, and wanted to get back at him.

He said the teachers violated the provisions of the Revised Penal Code and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Tejero and Villalobos also asked the ombudsman to bring the teachers to the Sandiganbayan, and to impose administrative sanctions against them.

“We initiate this filing in the interest of honesty, transparency and good governance, and we will  submit in due time other documents that may help the Office of the Ombudsman establish (sic) the liabilities of the respondents,” reads part of the complaint.

Tejero said Salvaloza and his group failed to liquidate some P44,392,320 million in estimated cooperative funds for years in violation of Item 5.0, sub-item 5.3 of the Department of Education’s Order No. 8, Series of 2007.

The Deped rule, he said, obliges school-based cooperatives to account for their funds.

Tejero said the cooperative disregarded written demands from the CCS management.

He said there was no liquidation  report on the cooperative’s daily income from the canteen  since 1986.

On Saturday, Tejero told the city council’s education committee: “All the complaints (against him) were malicious and unfounded.”

He said the allegations caused havoc in the campus, and were meant to harass school heads and cause their ouster.

Tejero also alleged that his accusers “used their friends in the media and the press” against him and his efforts to reform the CCS.

He said there were many anomalous transactions, including illegal tutorials of pupils.

Tejero also accused the school’s Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) to be in cahoots with teachers who are allegedly behind a smear campaign. He accused the PTA of illegal disposal of relief goods intended for Typhoon Sendong survivors.

“They were untouched by the previous administrator. During my time, I decided nga bahala na og petition-an ta nila. Lisod na kaayo ang culture karon nga among gabang-bangon. We have to change them… Busa kana sila suko kay ang ilang comfort zone was damaged,” he said.