The Quezon City Regional Trial Court has sentenced to six years in jail the former official of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) for corruption, the Office of the Ombudsman announced yesterday.
The Ombudsman said RTC Presiding Judge Rosanna Romero Maglaya said Monica Tierra, the former chief of the general services division (GSD) of the PCMC “unlawfully caused the hiring of her sister Rosalinda Alvaro as an employee of Philcare Manpower Service in 2004. Records show that PhilCare, a private janitorial service provider, had an existing contract with the hospital which “constituted pending official business with the PCMC, specially the GSD, which accused Tierra, headed as chief.”
In addition, representatives from Philcare also attested that Tierra recommended her sister for employment with the company.
The decision stated that “the accused miserably failed to adduce a credible story of non-culpability. Her alleged lack of knowledge of her sister’s employment with Philcare, a private enterprise under her supervision by reason of her position, is difficult to believe and cannot exonerate her from liability under the law.”
Tierra was also slapped with perpetual disqualification from holding public office and loss of all her retirement benefits. (Jun Ramirez)