Palace kicks out Lung Center chief
February 8, 2003 | 12:00am
Malacañang has ordered the dismissal of Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) Executive Director Dr. Fernando Melendres from government service for allegedly committing acts of dishonesty and graft.‘
Administrative Order 59, signed Feb. 4 by Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs Manuel Gaite, ordered the dismissal of Melendres from service with forfeiture of all his retirement benefits and his disqualification from re-employment in government.
"As correctly found by Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), respondent Executive Director Melendres is guilty of illegal procurement of presentation banner complexed with falsification of public documents, taking advantage of his position to accord unto himself the privilege to lease a room at the LCP’s doctor’s clinic in order to engage in the private practice of medicine without the approval from LCP’s Board of Trustees, falsification of documents in the execution of two (2) Architectural Service Agreements, and implementation of a reorganization plan without authorization from LCP’s Board of Trustees," the 34-page Malacañang order stated.
"Noteworthy is the fact that each of these offenses is considered a grave offense meriting the supreme penalty of dismissal from the service considering that the said offenses involve dishonesty, grave misconduct, and falsification of public documents," the order also read. "In fact the nature and the totality of respondent Executive Director Melendres’ commission of the aforementioned offenses make him notoriously undesirable to remain in the public service."
For his part, Melendres said he had no plans of leaving his post and the government service as ordered by Gaite.
In a phone interview, Melendres stressed that it was only the President or the Executive Secretary who has the authority to issue an order removing him from his post and the government service.
He pointed out that the order did not mention a replacement.
"The order is not only questionable but irregular. Ang pumirma ay ang acting deputy executive secretary. Ang alam ko, puwede lang magtanggal sa akin ay ang Pangulo at Executive Secretary," Melendres said.
Melendres said that the irregular Malacañang order was part of a plot to remove him from his post waged by certain people in the DOH, led by Secretary Manuel Dayrit.
The beleaguered hospital chief said that he was scheduling a press conference this Monday for an exposé against Dayrit.
For his part, Dayrit, the chairman of the LCP board of trustees, confirmed that they were working on the order that will come from the DOH dismissing Melendres.
Dayrit said he saw no basis for Melendres’ claim that it was irregular since it was only signed by Gaite and not the President or her Executive Secretary.
"I would encourage him to abide by it," Dayrit told The Star in a phone interview.
Commenting on Melendres’ threat to expose anomalies against him, Dayrit said it was up to the outgoing hospital director.
"Well, I’m sorry if he thinks that way. I think we actually protected him. It even came to a point where people were accusing us of coddling him. There’s nothing personal between me and him," Dayrit said.
The health chief stressed that Melendres’ dismissal went through the proper process.
Asked what DOH anomaly Melendres could expose against him, Dayrit said: "I can’t speculate. Its all up to him."
The Malacañang order to dismiss Melendres was made upon the recommendations of PAGC which conducted a lengthy and thorough investigation on charges of numerous irregularities perpetrated by Melendres as LCP head hurled against him by a group of LCP medical specialists.
It will be recalled that Melendres was meted a 90-day preventive suspension by Malacañang last Sept. 11.
The suspension order came with an order to the PAGC to initiate an investigation on the LCP irregularities such as the procurement of presentation banner without public bidding complexed with falsification of public documents; falsification of documents in the hiring of an architectural consultant; violation of auditing rules on the drawing of petty cash advances to circumvent the law on public bidding of infrastructure projects; and the unauthorized implementation of a reorganization of the LCP personnel without proper approval.
Administrative Order 59, signed Feb. 4 by Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs Manuel Gaite, ordered the dismissal of Melendres from service with forfeiture of all his retirement benefits and his disqualification from re-employment in government.
"As correctly found by Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC), respondent Executive Director Melendres is guilty of illegal procurement of presentation banner complexed with falsification of public documents, taking advantage of his position to accord unto himself the privilege to lease a room at the LCP’s doctor’s clinic in order to engage in the private practice of medicine without the approval from LCP’s Board of Trustees, falsification of documents in the execution of two (2) Architectural Service Agreements, and implementation of a reorganization plan without authorization from LCP’s Board of Trustees," the 34-page Malacañang order stated.
"Noteworthy is the fact that each of these offenses is considered a grave offense meriting the supreme penalty of dismissal from the service considering that the said offenses involve dishonesty, grave misconduct, and falsification of public documents," the order also read. "In fact the nature and the totality of respondent Executive Director Melendres’ commission of the aforementioned offenses make him notoriously undesirable to remain in the public service."
For his part, Melendres said he had no plans of leaving his post and the government service as ordered by Gaite.
In a phone interview, Melendres stressed that it was only the President or the Executive Secretary who has the authority to issue an order removing him from his post and the government service.
He pointed out that the order did not mention a replacement.
"The order is not only questionable but irregular. Ang pumirma ay ang acting deputy executive secretary. Ang alam ko, puwede lang magtanggal sa akin ay ang Pangulo at Executive Secretary," Melendres said.
Melendres said that the irregular Malacañang order was part of a plot to remove him from his post waged by certain people in the DOH, led by Secretary Manuel Dayrit.
The beleaguered hospital chief said that he was scheduling a press conference this Monday for an exposé against Dayrit.
For his part, Dayrit, the chairman of the LCP board of trustees, confirmed that they were working on the order that will come from the DOH dismissing Melendres.
Dayrit said he saw no basis for Melendres’ claim that it was irregular since it was only signed by Gaite and not the President or her Executive Secretary.
"I would encourage him to abide by it," Dayrit told The Star in a phone interview.
Commenting on Melendres’ threat to expose anomalies against him, Dayrit said it was up to the outgoing hospital director.
"Well, I’m sorry if he thinks that way. I think we actually protected him. It even came to a point where people were accusing us of coddling him. There’s nothing personal between me and him," Dayrit said.
The health chief stressed that Melendres’ dismissal went through the proper process.
Asked what DOH anomaly Melendres could expose against him, Dayrit said: "I can’t speculate. Its all up to him."
The Malacañang order to dismiss Melendres was made upon the recommendations of PAGC which conducted a lengthy and thorough investigation on charges of numerous irregularities perpetrated by Melendres as LCP head hurled against him by a group of LCP medical specialists.
It will be recalled that Melendres was meted a 90-day preventive suspension by Malacañang last Sept. 11.
The suspension order came with an order to the PAGC to initiate an investigation on the LCP irregularities such as the procurement of presentation banner without public bidding complexed with falsification of public documents; falsification of documents in the hiring of an architectural consultant; violation of auditing rules on the drawing of petty cash advances to circumvent the law on public bidding of infrastructure projects; and the unauthorized implementation of a reorganization of the LCP personnel without proper approval.
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