An employee of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Negros Occidental slammed his dismissal from the service for the alleged missing 789 bags of fertilizer, and will file an appeal before an “impartial authority”.
“I strongly decry my dismissal from service for grave charges without any evidentiary support,” Agriculturist 1 Herminigildo Basilio said in a statement issued Sunday, August 20.
“For me to be made the scapegoat and dismissed after more than a decade of loyal service to the provincial government due to 789 bags of fertilizer that allegedly went missing on Oct. 18, 2022 is simply devastating for me and my family and shows that injustice prevails at the halls of the Provincial Capitol,” he said.
“I am now left with no recourse but to appeal my dismissal before an impartial authority,” Basilio said, referring to the Civil Service Commission.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, dismissed Basilio from the service for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and malversation of public property effective immediately for the missing 789 sacks of fertilizer from the provincial government’s Rice Processing Center (RPC) warehouse in Bago City.
The 789 bags of fertilizer belonging to the Department of Agriculture worth P2,267,000 were discovered missing on October 2022.
Basilio said he had thoroughly explained his side through his reply to the Capitol’s Show Cause Order issued against him supported with documentary evidence, as well as in his answer to the formal charge, which was made under oath.
In his answer he provided the names of the persons who should have been included in the investigation, if such was made to uncover the truth, Basilio said.
“I have already provided proof that I was no longer in charge of the Rice Processing Center for more than one year at the time the 789 bags of fertilizers allegedly went missing. I also do not have the key to the RPC warehouse,” he said.
Basilio also said he only followed the instructions of his division chief, Alnel “Potchie” Taba, Technology Development and Agribusiness Division head of the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, to facilitate the receiving of 1,920 bags of fertilizer from Juantong Agri-Ventures around 3 p.m. on July 4, 2022.
The fertilizers were completely unloaded to the warehouse and were acknowledged by the watchman/guard on duty and recorded in their logbook, he said.
Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said on Friday that the division head had resigned from the service for personal reasons.*