Couple listed as Councilor's staff deny receiving salary
City Councilor Merci Drilon-Garcia
A couple claimed by City Councilor Merci Drilon-Garcia as her staff and whose names appear in the councilor's payroll list denied receiving money and working for the said councilor.
Couple Leonora and Ronald Incarnacion complained to Bombo Radyo the inclusion of their names in Garcia's legislative payroll last October 1-15. They claimed that they have not received any single centavo from the councilor and neither worked at the councilor's office.
Based on the payroll, the Incarnacions each received P2,200 working with an item as "laborers". The couple was listed to have taken P4,200 for the last pay day.
Leonora works as a "laundrywoman" and her husband Ronald earns a living by being a shoe repairman (sapatero), and not as staff of the lady councilor. Both, however, said they are waiting for the time when they can have work at Garcia's office.
Leonora, who frequents the city hall, said she had never worked in Garcia's office. She would usually visit the mayor's office and ask for financial help for her medicine. She is suffering from asthma.
The Incarcanacion's live at South Baluarte, Molo, the district where Garcia also resides.
Councilor Garcia, in an interview with Bombo Radyo, insisted the couple are her staff. She even claimed that she hired the couple although they are not educated because of the request of one barangay captain.
When checked with the Sangguniang Panglungsod yesterday showed no record of the couple's job order.
Garcia, who seemed to have been caught unprepared during the radio interview, said she hired the couple last October 1 as "laborers". They were tasked to monitor how she (Garcia) is viewed and accepted by city residents. "Gin-hire na sila para maghuring-huring sa mga barangay," Garcia who plans to run for reelection next year said.
She, however, said that she is providing for the transportation expenses of her staff going to the barangays.
Garcia further said she has several staff who do not report to her office. She defended that these are the staff who are taking care of her projects such as her medical missions in the city's different barangays.
Instead of answering who signed and received the salary in behalf of the couple, Garcia flaunted her past medical missions. She even viewed the reports linking her on having ghost employees politically motivated with the single aim of discrediting her in the eyes of the public.
Meanwhile, sources said it is not only Garcia who has ghost employees at the Sangguniang Panglungsod. Allegedly, there are other officials who include the salaries of their helpers in the SP's payroll.
Vice Mayor Guillermo de la Llana, however, was not available for comment yesterday.
Each appointment of contractual employees are subject for approval of the council. The hiring of the employees and its corresponding salaries is done through a resolution.
As this developed, the City Treasurers Office, upon the orders of City Treasurer Katherine Tingson will impose a different scheme on the release of the salaries of the contractual employees after the controversy on Garcia's employees was made public.