Defiant directors to face charges at Ombudsman

Pagadian City – The City Council is passing a resolution giving authority to City Mayor Sammy Co to file at the Office of the Ombudsman civil and administrative cases against regional directors of national government agencies based in Zamboanga City who continue to refuse transferring their regional offices to Pagadian.
Sponsored by City Councilor Roque M. Yamba, the motion, seeking for alternative venue for filing charges against erring regional directors, gained support particularly from majority floor leader Councilor Baldomero Fernandez.


Councilor Yamba, chair of the oversight committee and a first term councilor, told the Council on the 10th regular session over the weekend that transactions concerning some regional offices are still done in Zamboanga City instead in Pagadian.

The distinctive motion stemmed from various complaints that it is more inconvenient for the public to do official business transactions in Zamboanga City where some regional offices are located. Yamba also reiterated that by filing at the Office of the Ombudsman, complained regional directors may not have the convenience of seeking clearance from the Office when they retire.

Accordingly, the proposed cases the city may opt to file against regional chiefs will anchored on the light it is disadvantageous to the government when regional offices remain in Zamboanga City.

Reports have it that besides the supposedly unnecessary use of official time, regional employees based in Zamboanga have spent substantial amount for travel allowances, per diems, and other incidental traveling expenses and hotel accommodation when visiting extension offices in Pagadian.

Previously, the Sangguniang Panlunsod passed resolutions in March 2010 authorizing the city mayor to file in the judicial courts appropriate civil, administrative and criminal charges against regional directors for their “continued defiance to effect the transfer of their regional offices to Pagadian.”

The city government was poised to sue nine regional directors for not transferring their respective regional offices to Pagadian, but six of the regional heads personally came to see Mayor Co and asked for consideration and promised they would gradually transfer to the city.

Hence, Petitions for Mandamus with Damages now remains pending at the Regional Trial Court Branch 21 only against the three regional directors of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of National Statistics Office (NSO), and National Police Commission (Napolcom).

The three regional offices had submitted comments on the filed cases to the Court, which scheduled a conference with the parties in August. Observers opined that the new Yamba resolution may spur, if not intimidate, regional chiefs to fully transfer their offices to Pagadian.

In 2008, the city government purchased a 10-hectare lot in Brgy. Balintawak for the relocation of the regional offices. Named as Regional Center Complex, the area can accommodate more than 40 regional offices. Presently, the city government is spending more than P60 million for the rental of private buildings and apartments holding temporary office spaces for the regional agencies.

Co has repeatedly stressed the city government has been supportive to the regional offices and that he expects full cooperation from the regional heads.

It can be recalled that on October 12, 1990, the late President Corazon Aquino issued Executive Order No. 429 providing for the reorganization of the administrative regions in Mindanao and naming Pagadian City as the new the regional center while Zamboanga City shall remain the commercial and industrial center of Zamboanga Peninsula.

The executive order speaks of the urgency to “reorganize the administrative regions in Mindanao to guarantee the effective delivery of the field services of government agencies…”

Fourteen years later, former president Gloria Arroyo issued Memorandum Circular 75 to effect the full transfer of the said offices. In 2008, Arroyo allocated more than P200 million to fund the implementation the transfer.

But the massive transfer drew wide objections and criticisms by the regional directors and employees. Even Zamboanga residents showed insolence to EO 429. Regional employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources have filed a Writ of Preliminary Mandatory/Prohibiting Injunction in RTC Branch 12 in Zamboanga City but the petition was denied for lack of merit.

To speed up coordination and full transfer, the resolution also provided for the financial and manpower support for the Pagadian Regional Center Management and Coordinating Office headed by Engr. Leonila Sisona.