The Office of the Ombudsman has slapped a six-month suspension on Manila International Airport Authority acting General Manager Cesar Chiong and acting Assistant General Manager Irene Montalvo for grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service.
The complaint stemmed from an anonymous sender regarding the decision of Chiong to transfer 285 workers of MIAA a month after his assumption into office.
In its April 28 decision, the Ombudsman said the two were found guilty beyond reasonable doubt in committing the offenses.
The anti-graft body said Chiong also abused his authority for appointing Montalvo as assistant GM despite his unsatisfactory rating in 2020.
“Based on the evidence on record, it appears that the evidence of guilt of the respondents are strong and the charge against them involves grave misconduct which may warrant their removal from the service,” the Ombudsman said.
“Considering further that respondents’ continued stay in the office may influence potential witnesses and may prejudice the case filed against them due to their continued access to documentary evidence relative thereto, this Office exercises its power to place respondents under preventive suspension.”
Chiong, however, said he is confident he will be cleared from the allegations.
“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,” he said in a statement.
“The finances of MIAA have vastly improved without any government subsidy in the short stint that I have been at its helm. 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,” Chiong added.
The announcement of his preventive suspension came a day after a power outage hit NAIA Terminal 3, resulting in the cancellation of over 40 flights.