Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez has suspended the officer-in-charge of the Bacolod City Department of Public Services (DPS) and a driver for availing of fuel for a bulldozer that does not work, City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting said on Friday, November 25.
Preventively suspended for 60 days are DPS officer-in-charge Ramil Palalon and driver Darwin Cardones, who have been given three days to respond to the formal charges against them.
Palalon is facing charges for gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct, and Cardones for less serious dishonesty and grave misconduct, Ting said.
They were charged for withdrawing fuel nine times during the previous administration for a city government bulldozer that does not work , he said.
The fuel withdrawn was worth P53,798, Ting said.
Palalon could not be reached for comment as of this writing.*CPG