By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental provincial tourism officer Cheryl Decena’s motion for reconsideration had already been resolved and denied after no new evidence was presented to overturn the initial findings into the alleged mismanagement of the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary and loss of P3.5 million in cash advance remittances.

“Based on what was submitted, there was nothing to controvert the initial findings, so we denied the motion for reconsideration,” Provincial legal officer Alberto Nellas, Jr. said.

Decena received the resolution denying her motion on December 22, 2025.

Nellas noted that following the denial, Decena has the option to elevate the case to the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

He also said that Decena’s six-month suspension without pay will run until April 2026.

For her part, Decena confirmed that an appeal has already been filed with the CSC following the motion denial in her administrative case, as the provincial government stands by its earlier ruling.

“Yes, we did [it] last week,” Decena said.

She also said that her suspension will end in April and that she is set to return to work during the last week of the month.

Appeal

Meanwhile, Nellas said that four other provincial employees involved in the same case — Mark de la Cruz, Ester Jane Ignacio, Alfredo Tolosa III, and April Love Wee — also filed their respective motions for reconsideration, which were likewise denied for the same reasons.

Like Decena, they may also appeal their cases before the CSC.

The cases stemmed after Decena and the four employees were found administratively liable for slight neglect of duty at the Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in Murcia town due to alleged irregularities and delays in the remittance of cash advances in 2023.

Aside from Decena, who previously served as officer-in-charge of Mambukal Resort during the period in question, those suspended include De la Cruz, the resort’s storekeeper and disbursing officer; Ignacio and Tolosa, both disbursing officers; and Wee, recreation and welfare services officer./CJ, WDJ