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Author Topic: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7  (Read 1265 times)

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Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« on: November 11, 2014, 02:00:24 PM »
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/
By John Carlo Cahinhinan
Monday, November 10, 2014


THE Sandiganbayan fifth division has convicted a former director of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) in Central Visayas for sexually harassing a female subordinate, the Office of the Ombudsman said.

Jose Romeo Escandor, a former director of Neda-Central Visayas, was slapped with a P20,000 fine without a jail term since he was also convicted of similar offense in October 2013 by the court's third division.

In the latest case, the fifth division used as mitigating circumstance the absence of evidence showing that Escandor used his superior position to threaten the complainant or to entice her with a promotion.

"(T)he Court is convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the acts of sexual harassment perpetrated by the accused against (complainant) resulted in an intimidating and offensive environment for (her). Wherefore, premises considered, the Court finds Jose Romeo Escandor guilty beyond reasonable doubt of the offense of sexual harassment," the court said.

According to the testimony of the complainant who was an Economic Development Specialist and served directly under Escandor, the regional director harassed her for almost a decade from 1994 to 2004 and she found courage to file a criminal case against him when she could no longer stand his advances.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2014, 02:01:08 PM »
Facing the witness stand, the victim recalled that Escandor called her to his office in 1994 and told her that he was "falling in love" with her despite of the fact that she is already married.

Embarrassed by the declaration, she kept the problem to herself and simply chose to ignore the matter in the hope that Escandor will lose interest.

Instead, he started making physical contacts on several occasions like forcing her to sit beside him during lunch meetings and caressing her hands under the table; sending her pop-up love notes on her office computer; and at one time, forcibly dragging her and kissing her on the cheek while saying he missed her.

In her statement, she said that Escandor also started sending vulgar messages on her email discussing sex and forwarding sex jokes, including a picture of a bare-breasted former United States First Lady.

Feeling upset, the complainant began consulting officemates and showed them Escandor's messages on her mobile phone.

The complainant learned that Escandor has a habit of regularly borrowing pornographic films from a male officemate.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2014, 02:02:44 PM »
Worse, the defendant's wife started confiding to her that Escandor has an "intense appetite" for sex that tires her out.

To her mind, the problem became a lot more serious when the accused suggested twice in 1999 that they should start a sexual relationship.

As she continued to ignore the defendant's amorous attentions, Escandor changed his tactics by starting to berate her during staff meetings in Neda Central Visayas.

It was then that she decided to take action by forwarding one of Escandor's e-mail to then Neda Deputy Director General Raphael Lotilla and filing a complaint with the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The CSC dismissed the complaint for lack of jurisdiction but endorsed the matter to the Office of the President.

The OP ordered an investigation by the Neda, which eventually resulted in Escandor's dismissal from government service in 2007. (Sunnex)

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2014, 02:03:32 PM »
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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2014, 02:09:58 PM »
THE Sandiganbayan fifth division has convicted a former director of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) in Central Visayas for sexually harassing a female subordinate, the Office of the Ombudsman said.

Jose Romeo Escandor, a former director of Neda-Central Visayas, was slapped with a P20,000 fine without a jail term since he was also convicted of similar offense in October 2013 by the court's third division.


Ex-NEDA exec guilty of sexual harassment
http://www.manilatimes.net/
October 19, 2013 10:59 am


A FORMER regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) of Central Visayas is facing half a year behind bars for sexually harassing his married employee.

The Sandiganbayan Third Division convicted Jose Romeo Escandor for violation of the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act when he took advantage of Cindy Sheila Gamallo, a contractual employee of NEDA assisting in a Unicef project.

In the 39-page decision of the anti-graft court, the magistrates found that Escandor indeed displayed licentious behaviour before Gamallo, a married woman whose husband worked with Escandor.

The case traces in 1999 when one morning Escandor called Gamallo in his office, grabbed her, embraced her and kissed her on the forehead.

A series of malicious motives ensued, worst of sort was in December 2000, when Gamallo felt awkward during their Christmas party presentation because her boss is staring at her.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2014, 02:10:46 PM »
At the witness stand, Gamallo recounted her bitter struggle when her boss grabbed her when she was about to go home. Escandor kissed her on the lips but she moved away.

Lina Villamor, an officemate, saw Gamallo alighting from the stairs wiping her lips. Gamallo told Villamor what happened.

Apart from Villamor, Lelany Reso-or, Escandor’s secretary, and a security guard said that they saw how their boss took advantage of Gamallo.

Even before, Escandor had already been sending inappropriate messages through chat reading, “Hello, I miss you today,” “You are so beautiful,” or “I love you more everyday.”

Gamallo resigned in NEDA in 2003 where she filed a complaint at the NEDA Central Office. However, due to inaction, she filed the case before the Office of the Ombudsman in Visayas, which later on was built up and landed in Sandiganbayan.

During his defense, Escandor elaborated the layout of his office and said that had he been displaying indecent innuendos on Gamallo, everybody could have seen it because furniture were not obstructing sight.

Escandor told the court that Gamallo only concocted such allegations because her husband, a lawyer in NEDA and a junior of Escandor, had been in a bitter feud when Escandor filed an administrative case against Gamallo’s husband.

Escandor added that after a criminal case filed by Gamallo’s husband was dismissed, an avalanche of charges was filed against him, including her case and another sexual harassment case concerning Ruth Paul Cruz, another employee.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2014, 02:11:12 PM »
Resolving on the incident, the Sandiganbayan sustained the allegations of the Ombudsman, who said that the credibility of Gamallo far outweighs the denials of Escandor.

The justices said that if Escandor alleged that if the whole office plotted against his ouster, it smacks out of reason why only present one defense witness excluding himself.

“It is unbelievable that Escandor could not find other witnesses to refute Gamallo’s claim, while the complainant was able to gather witnesses who testified on her behalf,” the decision read, adding that the respondent’s claims were “reduced to mere denials.”

The Sandiganbayan added that Gamallo is honest and truthful even in cross-examination, when she confirmed that she signed the ouster of Escandor not to get back at her boss but to save the image of NEDA.

They added that for Gamallo to file a sexual harassment case is not a walk in the park.

“Filing a charge for sexual harassment is not a trivial matter. It entails having to go public with an incident that one is trying to forget. It means opening oneself to public ridicule and scrutiny,” the justices rendered, quoting a Supreme Court ruling.

Escandor was convicted to be placed behind bars for six months and to pay a fine of P20,000.

Associate Justices Alex Quiroz penned the decision, with Associate Justices Jose Hernandez and Samuel Martires concurring. JOHN CONSTANTINE G. CORDON

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #7 on: November 11, 2014, 05:39:23 PM »
justice indeed has a way of catching up.  back in 2004, a friend working at NEDA-7 tipped me about this.  i entirely forgot her story as i went on with my life.  both the former regional director and his wife are NEDA people through and through and have been deemed, rightly or wrongly, as quite imperious, it is as if the office is their personal fiefdom.  that is why this story has shaken me somewhat.  it took this long, but if justice had been served, so be it.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2014, 04:23:24 PM »
Hmm, daghan jud ang kaila aning Madame CJ, da...

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2014, 04:25:35 PM »
Paet pud ni ng conviction. Gasakit na ang imong pus-on, posasan ka pa.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2014, 05:54:26 PM »
Hmm, daghan jud ang kaila aning Madame CJ, da...

kuan man god, nyor hubag, kun naay bol-anon sa pluto, naa poy bol-anon sa cebu.  i belong to the latter.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #11 on: November 12, 2014, 05:55:32 PM »
Paet pud ni nga conviction. Gasakit na ang imong pus-on, posasan ka pa.

moral lesson: siguroon na lang nga ang pus-on nga gasakit maoy posasan.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #12 on: November 13, 2014, 06:59:32 PM »
kuan man god, nyor hubag, kun naay bol-anon sa pluto, naa poy bol-anon sa cebu.  i belong to the latter.

Oh, what I meant was, dili sa makausa lang ka higayon nga napamatud-an nga aduna kay personal nga kasayoran sa kasaysayan sa mga tawo nga nahilambigit sa mga milagro...

:P

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2014, 07:28:09 PM »
Oh, what I meant was, dili sa makausa lang ka higayon nga napamatud-an nga aduna kay personal nga kasayoran sa kasaysayan sa mga tawo nga nahilambigit sa mga milagro...

:P

hehe, right time, right place lang tingali ko. :P

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2014, 07:47:32 PM »
hehe, right time, right place lang tingali ko. :P

Ah, audentes fortuna iuvat... 8)

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #15 on: November 17, 2014, 06:28:23 PM »
umbrae offerant tibi fortunam, frater.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #16 on: November 17, 2014, 06:56:55 PM »
umbrae offerant tibi fortunam, frater.

Ah, fit unum scire una, soror.

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Re: Sandiganbayan convicts ex-director of Neda Region 7
« Reply #17 on: November 25, 2014, 03:43:48 AM »
audet abducti aspersionis domist, senes.

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