JV Ejercito: 'Political vendetta' behind non-release of retired San Juan employees' pay

Senator JV Ejercito on Monday described as "political vendetta" the non-release of terminal pay to around 20 retired San Juan City employees.

In a privilege speech, Ejercito, a former mayor of the city, said that the retired employees have raised their concerns to his office. Most of them served during his term as mayor as well as the mayoral stints of his father, former President Joseph Estrada; mother, Guia Gomez; and half-brother, Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

The amounts due to these employees range from P1 million to P3 million, according to Ejercito.

"Hindi sila namili ng tutulungan at pagsisilbihan, ano man ang grupo o partido na kinabibilangan ng nangangailangan...Ngunit nung sila po ay nag-retiro mistulang tiningnan at pinasama ang kanilang mabuting ugnayan sa aming pamilya," Ejercito said.

"If they are not paid what is due to them, there is no other way to describe this as political vendetta," the senator said.

Ejercito shared that before his privilege speech, incumbent San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora reached out to him and asked him why the senator would "hit" him in the Senate.

"Hindi po ito pagtira, Mr. President. Ito po ay pakiki-usap para maibigay na ang terminal pay ng mga empleyado na halos apat na taon na mula ng sila ay nagtapos ng serbisyo sa San Juan hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa ho nila nakikita," Ejercito said.

"Ang kasalukuyang dinaranas ng mga retiradong empleyado ng San Juan ay ang malungkot na larawan ng lokal na pulitika sa ating bansa tuwing nagkakaroon ng pagpapalit ng liderato--may kulay at paghahati-hati," he added.

As chairman of the Senate local government committee, Ejercito said he cannot tolerate the practice.

The issue had already been brought by Ejercito's office to the Civil Service Commission but they have yet to get a favorable response.

One of the retired employees had also raised the issue before the Anti-Red Tape Authority but until now there is no decision or resolution on the case.

Ejercito said that he reiterated the appeal of the retired employees to Zamora in one event but he was told that the funds for this was not included  in the local government's budget.

"It's just [a matter of] prioritizing. If they were able to bring the department heads, the barangay officials, and some leaders to Caramoan for a team building, [they] could have paid already probably five or six terminal [pays] of these employees," he quipped.

Ejercito then cited provisions of Republic Act 10154 or the law requiring all concerned agencies  to ensure early release of the retirement pay, pensions, gratuities and other benefits of retiring government employees.

Under the law, Ejercito emphasized that the retirement benefits should be released within 30 days from the actual retirement of the employees; the highest priority shall be given to the payment and/or settlement of the pensions and other retirement benefits; and there is a penalty of suspension from service without pay from six months to one year in the event of unjustified failure or refusal to release retirement benefits due to an employee.

"Kaya nga po ako ay tumayo siguro para matingnan natin kung ano ang pwedeng gawin natin sa batas para naman po sa mga magiging biktima rin--I'm sure na hindi lang naman sa San Juan ito nangyayari. Doon din sa ibang lugar na kung saan nagkaroon ng pagbabago ng administrasyon, madalas ay nangyayari po ito," he said.

After Ejercito's speech, Senator Raffy Tulfo raised the possibility of filing a case against Zamora before the Office of the Ombudsman as he supported his colleague one the issue.

"Ako po ay nanawagan kay Mayor Zamora--kung manipis po ang mukha niyo, ibigay niyo na. Kung makapal ang mukha niyo, i-Ombudsman ka," Tulfo said.

Since there is a law on the release of retirement benefits to former employees, Tulfo said this issue is a matter of implementation.

"Therefore, kung nagmamatigas si Mayor Zamora, sasampahan natin ng kaso sa Ombudsman and on top of that siguro iparating natin sa mga constituents niya, sa mga botante  about his character and let the voters decide pagdating ng eleksyon kung sisibakin ba o i-retain ang isang lingkod bayan na hindi ginagawa ang tama para sa kanilang mga botante, para sa kanyang mga constituents," he said.

He also agreed with Ejercito that the issue is a "political vendetta" on the part of Zamora and lamented that the retired employees were being affected by the clash between the two political families.

If Zamora won't release the terminal pay for the retired benefits, Tulfo said he will talk to the constituents of San Juan City and show what kind of mayor he is. The senator also said that he will help in the filing of a case before the Ombudsman.

"Pakawalan niyo na po at kapag hindi, isa po ako sa makikipag-usap [sa] inyong mga botante at makakarating sa kanila ang mga ito--kung anong klaseng mayor kayo na nang-aapi aat nanggigipit ng maliliit nating mga kababayan," Tulfo said.

GMA News Online had asked Zamora to comment on Ejercito and Tulfo's remarks but he has yet to respond as of posting time.

Zamora ended the 49-year rule of the Ejercitos and Estradas in San Juan City in the 2019 midterm elections.

Zamora won as city mayor in 2019, defeating then-mayoral bet Janella Estrada-- the daughter of Senator Jinggoy Estrada.—LDF, GMA Integrated News