TACLOBAN CITY- For drawing salaries while he was not actually reporting for work, an elementary school principal based in Eastern Samar was suspended by the regional office of the Department of Education (DepEd).
Arnaldo Caspe, school principal of the Sulat Central School (SCS) in Sulat, Eastern Samar, was “preventively suspended” by DepEd Regional Director Ramir Uytico effective March 2, this year.
The suspension of Caspe was based on a complaint filed by Marlo Nival, a teacher of the said school, who accused Caspe of dishonesty for filing up his daily time record (DTR) though he was not reporting for work as principal of the school.
Nival claimed that for the months of April, May, June, July, August, September and October, all in 2013, Caspe continued to receive his monthly salary of about P40,000.
On that year, Caspe took the Bar examination which he failed to pass.
Nival was named as officer-in-charge of the SCS when Caspe went to Manila to take a review for the Bar examination.
“While I was performing the function of my designated office, I later found out that respondent did not file an official leave of absence.(And) despite his absence without official leave, Mr. Caspe still filed his Form 48(daily time record) falsely indicating therein the fact of his alleged reporting for work…” Nival said in his complaint he filed before the regional DepEd office.
It was learned that Caspe was reassigned as school principal of Can-avid Central School in Can-avid town, also in Eastern Samar on November 2, 2016.
Aside from filing an administrative complaint against Caspe, Nival also filed a criminal complaint against Caspe before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Borongan City, Eastern Samar for violation of Republic Act 3019(Anti-Graft and Practices Act) and violation of Articles 171 and 172 of the Revised Penal Code for falsification of documents which has yet to be resolved.
(JOEY A. GABIETA)
