DOTr dismisses two Cordillera officials

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Wednesday, August 22, served an order to dismiss from service Jesus Eduardo Natividad and Datu Mohammad Abbas, the regional director and assistant regional director of the DOTr’s Cordillera Administrative Region (DOTr-CAR) office, respectively.

The following are the newly designated officers in charge at the DOTr-CAR office:

• Regional Director of DOTr-CAR : Robert Allan Santiago
• Assistant Regional Director of DOTr-CAR for LTO : Jennilyn Avelino
• Assistant Regional Director of DOTr-CAR for LTFRB : Jess Balagot

Natividad was found guilty of gross neglect of duty for issuing a Certificate of Public Convenience (CPC) for a U-Hop application within the moratorium period.

Meanwhile, Abbas was dismissed after the DOTr found him guilty of grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, stemming from multiple allegations of misconduct. These include extortion in exchange for the release of impounded vehicles, accepting money to facilitate the issuance of CPCs, accepting commissions from medical and notarial fees relative to franchise applications, as well as an instance of brandishing a gun against a clinic employee.

Abbas, however, refuses to obey the order, saying only President Rodrigo Duterte can terminate him due to his being a presidential appointee.

A DOTr statement, however, says Abbas does not have any appointment papers from President Duterte, being an appointee of the previous administration. He serves the DOTr-CAR as a holdover and on an acting capacity, with replacements ready to take his place.

The dismissal order means they will no longer be given retirement benefits, and will be disqualified from re-employment in government service. – Rappler.com