Eight Zambo govt employees sacked

• Source: http://www.manilatimes.net/eight-zambo-govt-employees-sacked/227495/
• Saturday, November 7, 2015

By REINA TOLENTINO

THE Office of the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal from the service a municipal accountant and seven other employees of Molave, Zamboanga del Sur after they were found involved in the anomalous purchase of expired and overpriced medicines worth P1.8 million in 2009.

Ordered dismissed in a 10-page decision signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales were Municipal Accountant Martin Blanco Jr., Eleuterio Galleto, Bids and Award Committee members Gasmelba Felicitas, Marcos Bahinting, Melita delos Santos, Nikki Omboy, Jerry Gene delos Santos and Lina Lou Gitalan.

All eight were found guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and the Ombudsman ordered Molave municipal mayor to immediately enforce the same.

According to Commission on Audit (COA) findings, the medicines were overpriced by as much as 152 to 836 percent and the process did not undergo public bidding, no eligibility check done, and no bid bonds from the bidders.

Also, the delivery, inspection and payment for the medicines were processed in one day after the opening of the bids.

Aside from their dismissal, the employees also face cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in the government service.