By JEN BAYLON
The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) found Calatrava Mayor Marilyn Era guilty of grave abuse of authority and gross negligence of duty.
The decision stems from a complaint filed by Dr. Lewyn C. Torres and Dr. Kristine D. Ureta, who alleged that their consultancy services at the Calatrava Municipal Hospital were prematurely terminated without justifiable cause and without proper notice.
Torres and Ureta were contracted as medical consultants for three months from April 1 to June 30 of this year, under a memorandum of agreement with the municipal government.
As their consultancy period approached its conclusion, they were informed by Calatrava hospital chief, Dr. Elien Lumanog, that they would not receive a work schedule for June.
The two doctors sought clarification from Era through a letter dated June 3.
Unfortunately, their request went unanswered, prompting them to file a formal complaint affidavit on August 30.
The SP referred the case to its Committee on Laws, Rules and Ordinances, which advised the complainants on procedural requirements for their complaint to be properly acknowledged.
A preliminary conference was scheduled for October 15.
However, due to scheduling conflicts with the respondents’ legal counsel, the conference was rescheduled to October 29.
The Committee on Laws determined that there was insufficient jurisdiction to pursue complaints against Lumanog and hospital administrator Jeric Ryan Belargo.
The complaints against them were dismissed.
However, the committee delved into the core issues raised by the complainants against Era.
They argued that being excluded from the work schedule constituted an implicit termination of their services without proper notice.
The ruling emphasized that while the memorandum allowed for pre-termination without cause, it explicitly required a written notice at least 30 days prior to termination.
The committee found no evidence that such notice had been provided to the complainants.
Their decision, dated November 26, concluded that Era’s failure to provide a work schedule and her lack of response to the doctors’ inquiries demonstrated a deliberate neglect of duty and an abuse of authority.
Instead of serving a suspension, the committee opted for a financial penalty equivalent to Era’s two months’ salary, and payable directly to Torres and Ureta as compensation for their lost income during their contracted working period./JB, WDJ