By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. has created a fact-finding committee to investigate the social media posts of Nereo Lujan, chief of the Iloilo Provincial Information and Community Affairs Office (PICAO).
The committee, established through an executive order, will examine whether Lujan’s Facebook posts about Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas violated any Civil Service Commission (CSC) rules.
The investigation will determine if Lujan’s actions constituted misconduct or conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service, as outlined in Rule 10 of the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.
The committee will be chaired by Atty. Mae Therese Albacete from the Provincial Legal Office (PLO), with Maribel Fabales from the Human Resource Management and Development Office and Atty. Lingelu Pedregosa from the General Services Office as members.
“The Committee is further directed to recommend appropriate action and/or necessary charges if warranted by evidence,” the executive order stated.
This measure comes amid an ongoing cyber libel complaint filed by Treñas against Lujan and an administrative complaint accusing Lujan of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
In the cyber libel complaint filed earlier this May, Treñas alleged that Lujan, a heritage advocate, was harassing him and his family on social media.
In the administrative case, Treñas emphasized that as a government official, Lujan should be guided by Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
The CSC on July 12 ordered Lujan to respond to the complaint filed by the city mayor.
These cases were filed amid growing criticism from historians and cultural advocates over the demolition of the façade of the Iloilo City Public Market, designated a “Historic Center” by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2014.
Lujan accused the city mayor of not following legal processes in the Art Deco structure’s demolition.
Following the filing of the cyber libel charges, Defensor issued a show-cause order to Lujan on May 23, demanding a written explanation within three working days.
Lujan submitted his response nearly a week later.
On May 29, the PLO recommended to the governor the issuance of the executive order and the creation of the committee to investigate the alleged bullying acts of Lujan toward Treñas.
In a press conference on Monday, July 22, Treñas said he received a notice from the provincial government requesting his presence at a committee hearing scheduled for August 7 at the Provincial Legal Office’s Conference Room.
Treñas said his legal counsel would represent him.
“I’ve been complaining about that for a long time. Is it the job of the information officer to attack the governor or city mayor? Is that a part of your job description?” he added.
