CEO official confirms employee's string of extortion activities
Officials at the City Engineer's Office (CEO) know all along that Ricardo Gumabong, a former CEO employee, is engaged in alleged extortion activities but they simply ignored it for lack of formal complaints.
Engr. Marcelino Umahag, CEO's chief of the electrical division, confirmed that they have received information on Gumabong's alleged string of extortion activities when he was still assigned under his division.
Gumabong was last assigned at the electrical division in 2005. His daily time record for December 2005 was only signed by Umahag in January 2006.
They later found out that Gumabong has a detailed order at the Special Services Unit (SSU) of the Iloilo City Hall. As to date, Gumabong's whereabouts could not be located.
Mediamen have been looking for him to get his side on his alleged extortion attempt with a fertilizer firm.
Umahag said the previous complaints against Umahag were all verbal. He said, the verbal complaints were not enough for them to slap sanctions against Gumabong during that time. Nevertheless, he said, the complaints are all documented in their office.
Umahag said, because of the numerous complaints against Gumabong they later prohibited him from joining the inspection team. He was only made to stay in the office and was not given any work at all.
Gumabong, claiming as electrical inspector of the CEO, billed the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp. in Rizal, La Paz some P16,724 for the annual inspection fee, building plan and for the signatures of electrical engineers as contained in the purported billing statement dated May 8, 2006.
Umahag added that he has no idea how Gumabong was able to gain access to the list of building owners still subject for inspection. He suspected, Gumabong only picked from among the number of buildings in the city and billed them.
Umahag said what Gumabong did to the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp. is "illegal." He (Gumabong) is not allowed to do the function as the annual inspection is subject for the approval of the CEO chief Marito Amatorio, Umahag said.