By CONG B. CORRALES
Associate Editor
A FORMER “job order” worker of the local government in Gingoog City has come forward to link Vice Mayor Erick Canosa to “ghost employees.”
In a 10-page affidavit-complaint furnished to the Gold Star Daily, Chito Dayoc, 63, of Barangay 18-A, Gingoog, alleged that he was hired to serve in the city council, under the office of Cañosa, as a “job order” worker in January 2015.
The Nov. 2, 2015 affidavit was made before assistant city prosecutor Randy Ilisan. A video recording by Dayoc accompanied the affidavit-complaint sent to this paper.
Dayoc alleged that he was recruited by Councilor Ernesto Chaves.
He stated that he was invited to the house of Chaves, and it was there where the offer for him to be a “job order” worker was made. He said he hesitated at first, doubting his capacity to work for the vice mayor.
But he alleged that Chaves convinced him to accept it with the supposed assurance that “I need not report or work but only go to city hall to claim my salaries.”
He alleged that he was also assured that Cañosa would take care of everything.
Dayoc said he received P2,000 every 15 days from the cashier of city hall, and allegedly remitted it to Chaves who supposedly returned to him only P500.
Dayoc attached in his affidavit-complaint a “sample” of his “job order” appointment which he claimed was renewed every three months, a photocopy of his city hall ID, indicating his employment in the city council, payroll, and a certification which bore the alleged signature of Cañosa, approving payment of his salaries. He said he was “JO” from January-October 2015.
He also claimed in his affidavit-complaint that there were other alleged “ghost employees.”
“I know for a fact that I am not alone but more than a hundred workers for JO with similar situation as mine – to appear like worker under JO but in truth and in fact we are not working for SP but only to claim salaries and remit them to respondents (sic) Chavez under the direction of Cañosa,” Dayoc alleged in his affidavit-complaint filed with the Office of the Ombudsman for Mindanao.
Also named as respondents in the complaint are Chaves, and lawyer Maria Theresa Mortiz-Arao, the city council secretary, who certified the payroll.
Dayoc has asked the ombudsman to hold Cañosa, Chaves and Arao answerable for alleged violation of RA 3016, malversation of funds through falsification of public documents pursuant to Article 217, in relation to Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code, grave abuse of authority, dishonesty, grave misconduct, violation of RA 6713, dishonesty.
In the video that accompanied a copy of his affidavit-complaint, Dayoc said he has gone on hiding. He however appealed for help from Mayor Marie Guingona.
Guingona said she has distanced herself from the issue, saying she was focused on her reelection campaign. But she said Cañosa and the other officials would need to face the charges, and be given fair trial.
Incidentally, Cañosa, who is allied with the Padayon Pilipino-United Nationalists Alliance, is challenging Guingona of the Liberal Party for the mayoralty of Gingoog, a component city of Misamis Oriental with over 130,000 voters.29
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
