Village official to EdPam: ‘Sue me’

Barangay Lourdes Northwest council member William David told Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan on Wednesday to sue him if the allegations on the ghost employees of Pamintuan’s administration are not true.

David’s challenge was made after the Pamintuan camp threatened to sue him and other barangay officials who spoke up about the inclusion of the names of their friends and relatives in the list of job order (JO) employees without their knowledge.

David said, “Kung pinipilit nila na kami ang nagsisinungaling at hindi totoo ang mga dokumento na hawak namin, idemanda nila kami,” adding “Maganda nga na makarating sa korte ang usaping ito para makita talaga kung sino ang nagsasabi ng totoo.”

David also advised Pamintuan to address the issue by presenting all 2,506 JO employees.

“Kung talagang walang ghost employees, hinahamon ko si Mayor Pamintuan na ilabas lahat ng mga JO sa City Hall, ihilera sa Plaza Miranda dala ang mga appointment na isinumite sa Ombudsman,” David said.

The Pamintuan camp vehemently denied the accusations of the barangay officials, which they referred as “black propaganda” initiated by their political opponents, and claimed that the documents being presented by the barangay officials as evidence could have been easily forged.

David, however, stands by the authenticity of the documents in his possession which shows the list of job order appointments of the City Government under the PhilHealth program of the Office of the Mayor and bears the signature of Secretary to the Mayor Leonardo Galanza and Pamintuan.

In the said document, David’s wife, Irene David, is included in the payroll of job order employees even when she has never worked for and has never received any salary from the City Government.

This is also the case for several other barangay officials, which includes Barangay Cutcut Kagawad and CLAC vice president Roy Ogurida and Barangay Salapungan Kagawad Renato Coronel, who also denied any knowledge about the inclusion of their relative’s names in the job order payroll.

by: Reynaldo Navales