‘My services are extremely needed,’ says retired gov’t doc
AMIDST reaching the mandatory retirement age in government service, Dr. Rosito Tamayo, alternate quarantine medical officer (AQMO) of the Laoag International Airport and Currimao Seaport, insisted that his services are extremely needed by the government, hence he remained under contract with the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). Tamayo’s reaction came about following a civil service ruling that hiring of government personnel should strictly be within the age limit of 65 years old, except when on consultancy basis. Based on Tamayo’s service contract with the BOQ, the retired government doctor has been designated as the AQMO of the airport and seaport in the province but would be without compensation from the government. Instead, a payment of per diem to Tamayo will be charged against the funds of seaport and airport clients and stakeholders, which include airlines and shipping lines where the service is being extended. His designation as medical quarantine officer took effect in February 2006 and will end on the same date next year. Tamayo’s one-year contract however is renewable but would be dependent on his performance. In an interview with Tamayo on November 7, he explained that his track record speaks for itself. “For the many years that I have been here, my office and my work here has never been compromised unlike other agencies here that you may have heard of so many irregularities. But for medical quarantine, I can assure you there was none and will never be,” Tamayo said. Though admitting that he has reached the mandatory retirement age for government workers, Tamayo justified his hiring saying it was the BOQ which requested for his services. He added that his services as medical quarantine officer is very much needed at the airport and the Currimao port and since there was a freeze in government hiring, he remained in his position because there was still no replacement yet. When asked why the BOQ uses a rubber stamp instead of an official signature in the documentation of actual inspections of aircrafts and sea vessels entering the province’s ports, Tamayo clarified that a rubber stamp is a standard equipment in any office for documentation, hence there are instances when they may opt to use a rubber stamp or the official signature of the concerned authority. In the actual documentation of inbound and outbound shipments here, The Ilocos Times learned that the BOQ uses a rubber stamp, contrary to international commercial law, which requires the signature of the authorized personnel to make the transaction legal and binding. Under the law, a rubber stamp on official transactions is not legal for the reason that in cases of fraud or irregularity, no one can be held liable or answerable to the act committed. The Ilocos Times further learned that the BOQ is collecting an average of P75,000 a month from aircrafts and sea vessels, while at least US$10 is being collected as “extra services” payment for special flights. Leilanie G. Adriano
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