By John Rey Saavedra/PNA
CEBU CITY – The chief of the Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu on Tuesday said she is contemplating on taking legal action on the alleged illegal order of Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero replacing her with a lawyer whose employment with the bureau is still under process.
BOC-Cebu District Collector Elvira Cruz said Guerrero issued Customs Personnel Order No. B-11-2019 dated Jan. 10, 2019 ordering her relief and assigning her to the freezer office, Compliance Monitoring Unit (CMU) in Manila.
A copy of the order obtained by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) also ordered the assignment of one Atty. Charlito Martin Mendoza as acting district collector of the Port of Cebu. The same order said that Mendoza’s plantilla item is Attorney V with salary grade 25.
Cruz said the BOC Human Resource Management discovered that “Atty. Mendoza is not an employee of customs”.
She said she received a call last Tuesday telling her that Guerrero would be in Cebu on Wednesday for the turnover ceremony at the BOC-Cebu building in Cebu International Port (CIP) complex in Pier 6.
On Wednesday, however, she was informed that no turnover will occur because of the discovery of the employment status of her replacement.
“I already contested the order through an appeal to the CSC (Civil Service Commission). But the turnover did not push through because my replacement is yet to be appointed,” she told the PNA.
In her appeal received by CSC in Quezon City, Cruz said “she holds an appointment as Collector VI,” attaching her Dec. 28, 2016 appointment.
She said she was “appointed as District Collector for the Collection District VII, Port of Cebu as per Customs Personnel Order No. B-26-2018 dated 28 December 2017.”
She said she was reassigned to CMU as per CPO issued by the commissioner of customs on Jan. 10, 2019 but wanted to implement it on Wednesday through a turnover ceremony.
“Implementing the order now that the election is coming is a violation of the election laws. May election ban po sa movement ng mga (There is an election ban against the movement of) government personnel,” she said.
She said she is willing to vacate her post if the order replacing her is legal.
