Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson has suspended the Negros Occidental provincial tourism officer and four employees previously assigned to the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary for six months without pay due to “simple neglect of duty”.
Suspended was Cheryl F. Decena, former officer-in-charge (OIC) of the provincial government-owned Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia and current provincial tourism officer.
Also suspended were Mark L. de la Cruz – storekeeper/disbursing officer, Ester Jane T. Ignacio – disbursing officer, Alfredo C. Tolosa III- disbursing officer, and April Love E. Wee – recreation and welfare services officer II/disbursing officer, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. confirmed on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
“We will be filing a Motion for Reconsideration, and we hope that Governor Lacson will have an impartial legal team revisit the case, review all the documents, and exonerate us,” Decena said.
“There is a pattern of harassment in the Provincial Government against individuals who have honestly served the provincial government for years, some of whom have either been forced to resign or slapped with unfair penalties. This begs the question – Why?” she said.
The suspension orders, which were served on Tuesday, took effect immediately, Nellas said.
“They were found administratively liable for slight neglect of duty related to irregularities and delays in the remittances of cash advances, resulting in mismanagement and a P3.5 million loss to Mambukal for calendar year 2023,” he said.
Under the principle of command responsibility, Decena allegedly failed to rectify the unliquidated cash advances for Calendar Year 2023, the complaint against her stated.
The decision said Decena “neglected her duty to establish the necessary measures that would ensure financial transparency and openness, as mandated by law. This failure further compromised the financial stability of Mambukal and contributed to the financial discrepancies observed during her tenure.”
The disbursing officers were cited for “prolonged inaction and failure to liquidate funds despite repeated audit reminders (which) constitute an analogous aggravating circumstance, showing disregard of financial accountability and contributing to institutional loss.”
DECENA DECRIES SUSPENSION
Decena decried the imposition of the six-month suspension without pay on her and the others, calling the order “unwarranted.”
A fifth disbursing officer named in the complaint, who is an engineer, resigned before the decision was reached because he was rehired by his former employer, she said.
The two main allegations against them were the failure to submit liquidation documents on time and that losses were incurred by Mambukal Resort when she was its OIC, Decena said.
“These allegations were belied by documentary evidence which showed that liquidation was made within the deadline set, and that Mambukal Resort even reflected an initial income of P9 million,” she said.*