Five employees of the Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist have been formally charged for grave misconduct and preventively suspended for 60 days.
They are Engineer IV Jimlo Garsula, Engineers III Ramelo Letran and German Abihay, Engineer 1 Resin Palacios and Maria Luisa Abaño of the OPA, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Thursday, August 25.
They were served their preventive suspensions on Tuesday, August 23, which took effect effective immediately, he added.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson agreed with the findings of the Provincial Legal Office and signed the formal charges for grave misconduct against the five for misuse of a government vehicle, he said.
The five OPA staff made the vehicle and its driver wait beyond office hours while they engaged in a drinking spree at a restaurant in Victiorias City, Nellas said.
Garsula, the head of the OPA team, aside from misuse of government property is also facing separate charges for verbally maltreating another government employee, he added.
He berated and hurled expletives against the head of the Capitol cab service, Nellas said.
Preventive suspension is not a penalty in itself, it is imposed to protect evidence and witnesses, Nellas said.
After the formal charge the five may choose to submit position papers or engage in a full blown administrative hearing, he said.*