BAGUIO CITY – A Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) officer under the office of the City Mayor was indicted of three counts of violation of the “Safe Spaces Act” or the Republic Act 11313.
Also, the chief of the POSD, Darryl Kim Longid, was indicted of violation of the same law for inaction to prevent such violation.
A female city government employee at the POSD complained as early as November last year against Allan Faustino, after suffering from acts and words she believed invaded her personal space and threatened her personal safety.
The complainant believed Longid failed to disseminate or place in a conspicuous location a copy of the RA 11313, failed to provide measures to prevent gender-based harassment in the workplace, failed to create an independent internal mechanism or a committee to address or investigate acts of sexual harassments; and failed to provide or disseminate in consultation with the people in the workplace a code of conduct or a workplace policy.
In her complaint, the female employee also felt she has been a subject of mockery by Faustino in their work-related messenger group chat. She was also confronted and accused of stealing and tampering with their office tablet. Because of these, she was isolated from her workmates.
The female complainant also alleged that sometime in December last year, Faustino sexually harassed her where she was standing in front of the office printer when suddenly, she felt a hand brushed against her back.
When the complainant faced him, the latter poked her lower front area with a ball pen. The complainant verbally complained “Ang bastos mo ngay Sir Allan! Babae din ako!” But he just laughed and did not apologize.
Earlier too, the same accused while in a drinking session called the complainant through her work colleagues and had been telling her to entertain him and her drinking buddies.
The lady employee reported the matter to the POSD chief but did not act as expected.
For his part, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong said aside from the criminal suits, administrative cases have already been filed and the POSD officers have been directed to submit to the legal process.
“They will expect no interference from me,” he assured, while stressing “this administration is serious in instilling a culture of professionalism and respect in the workplace, and any conduct to the contrary is absolutely not tolerated.”
The two POSD officers were also allegedly separately charged before the Civil Service Commission (CSC) in relation to the administrative matter of the said case. By HENT
