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The Office of the Ombudsman has placed Manila International Airport Authority general manager Cesar Chiong under preventive suspension for six months without pay for alleged grave abuse of authority and misconduct
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MIAA acting assistant general manager for finance and administration Irene Montalbo was suspended along with Chiong
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Both are charged with grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service for reassigning 285 MIAA employees in a matter of less than a year
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The charges include the designation of Montablo by Chiong as acting general manager “despite the former’s unsatisfactory rating in 2020”
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Chiong said the reassignment of employees was part of efforts to improve airport operations and that he is confident “of being vindicated and cleared in the end”
The Office of the Ombudsman has placed Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Cesar Chiong and MIAA acting assistant general manager for finance and administration Irene Montalbo under preventive suspension for six months without pay for alleged grave abuse of authority and misconduct.
According to the order dated April 28, both are being charged with grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service for the reassignment of 285 MIAA employees in less than a year and the designation of Montablo by Chiong as acting general manager “despite the former’s unsatisfactory rating in 2020.”
The order noted that barely a month since Chiong was appointed general manager of MIAA in July 2022, he started the reassignment of MIAA employees.
Anonymous MIAA officials filed the complaint against the two officials.
The suspension took effect upon service to respondents of the copy of the order. Chiong received the order on May 2.
The Ombudsman order came a day after Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 experienced a power outage on May 1 that resulted in the delay and cancellation of flights. MIAA operates NAIA.
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.”
The order added: “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 service.”
In a statement on May 2, Chiong said the reassignment of employees was “part of my effort to improve airport operations”, adding he is “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: “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.
“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.”
