Two engineers at the Negros Occidental Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) facing charges for grave misconduct have been preventively suspended for 60 days, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. said Tuesday, November 15.
Suspended since last week are engineers Jimbo Garsula and German Abihay, he said.
Their suspension is only preventive in nature and is not a penalty, Nellas stressed.
Garsula, Abihay, and Engineer Armin Elias Ciocon were formally charged for grave misconduct in connection with the acceptance of a Grain Drying System purchased by the provincial government that was under specifications, Nellas said.
Ciocon, who is now assigned at the Provincial Engineer’s Office, was not suspended since he is no longer working at the OPA where evidence could be tampered, he added.
Garsula and Ciocon signed the Acceptance and Inspection Report and accepted the delivery of the Grain Drying System with a combined capacity of 30 tons, and not 36 tons as stated in the purchase order, without testing it, Nellas said.
Their signing of the Acceptance and Inspection Report despite the discrepancies led to payment of 49.81 percent or P3.2 million of the amount due to the contractor on April 7, 2016 to the damage and prejudice of the Negros Occidental provincial government.
Despite no documents to support the late acceptance of the Test Instruments, Abihay also accepted its delivery on Dec. 14, 2020.
Based on the Project Management and Support Services Division Joint Inspection on March 15, 2022, the delivered Grain Drying System remains non-functional as of this date, Nellas said.*