MIAA GM Cesar Chiong sinuspindi ng Ombudsman
Pinatawan ng preventive suspension ng Office of the Ombudsman si General Manager Cesar Chiong ng Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA).
Kasama ring sinuspindi ng Ombudsman si MIAA Asst. GM Irene Montalbo.
Ang suspensyon ay kaugnay ng kasong grave abuse of authority and grave misconduct at conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service na isinampa ng may 285 empleyado ng MIAA na naapektuhan ng ipinatupad na reassignment ni Chiong nang maupo ito sa puwesto.
“Barely a month from his assumption, he started the reassignment of MIAA employees. Sworn statements gathered from the reassigned employees would reveal that they were neither informed of the reason for their reassignment nor did they have pending administrative complaints,” nakasaad sa ibinabang kautusan ni Ombudsman Samuel Martires na may petsang April 28.
Itinalaga si Chiong bilang acting GM at miyembro ng MIAA Board of Directors noong July 2022.
Kinuwestiyon din ng mga empleyado ang pagtatalaga niya kay Montalbo bilang Asst. GM for Finance and Administration sa kabila ng unsatisfactory rating nito noong 2020.
Ayon sa Ombudsman, umabuso sa kapangyarihan si Chiong sa pagtatalaga kay Montalbo.
“Montalbo cannot deny her participation in the reassignment of MIAA employees because, as the designated Assistant General Manager for Finance and Administration, it is her function to advise the General Manager in the formulation and implementation of administrative matters,” ayon pa sa Ombudsman.
“Based on the evidence on record, it appears that the evidence of guilt of the respondents are strong and the charge against them involve Grave Misconduct which may warrant their removal from the service,” dagdag pa ni Ombudsman Martires.
Kumpiyansa naman si Chiong na malilinis ang kaniyang pangalan sa huli.
“I am confident of being vindicated and cleared in the end, after I am allowed to present my side as a result of my vision and plan to improve airport efficiency and the financial standing of the authority,” nakasaad sa statement na ipinalabas ni Chiong.
Dagdag pa ng MIAA GM ang reklamo ay mula sa anonymous complainant na hindi sang-ayon sa pagsasa-ayos na ginagawa nila sa paliparan.
Bahagi aniya ito ng pagpapahusay sa operasyon ng paliparan para sa mas maayos na customer experience.
“The country’s main airport faces extremely difficult challenges, and we have started to implement plans and programs that aim to enhance passenger experience at our country’s main gateway,” paliwanag pa ni Chiong.
Binigyang-diin din nito na maayos ang pananalapi ng MIAA at hindi na umaasa sa ayuda ng gobyerno mula nang siya ang mangasiwa sa operasyon mg ahensya
“Putting MIAA in good financial stead is one of my visions. There are others that are just as critical. But for now, I need to focus on the legal issue at hand,” dagdag na pahayag ni Chiong
Ang suspensiyon ng Ombudsman ay ibinaba sa harap ng panibagong aberya sa operasyon ng airport na resulta ng power outage sa Terminal 3.
Gayunman, nilinaw ng Ombudsman na walang kinalaman ang suspension order sa isyu.
Weng dela Fuente/ Moira Encina
