A dismissed government employee Friday has “sang like a canary” denouncing in the process, her former employer, G-Hernandez Mayor Myrna Scheurs, of wrong doing including cornering local government transactions in the name of a family-owned business establishment. Arlene Sayson, a native of Ubay town but employed as clerk and cashier of Mayor Scheurs since 2002 until 2006, filed Friday before the office of the National Labor Relations (NLRC) a case of illegal dismissal after her former employer terminated her services “in a fit of unreasonable and jealous rage.” The lady mayor is married to a Dutch national identified as Wilhelmus Scheurs. The Post texted at least two times Mayor Scheurs for her reaction regarding the accusations of her former employee. She answered the first text with the question “who was the complainant?” Nothing was heard from her after telling her about the complainant's name. For the last time yesterday, a follow-up was made of her reaction but no answer came. Among other damaging allegations, Sayson, during her four-year employment of the Scheurs' detailed how she was used as dummy of at least three business entities owned by the G-Hernandez mayor and her husband. The three firms are Bohol Rice and Corn Mill, Bohol Rice Mill, and Bohol General Merchandise. Two other entities- -G-Hernandez General Merchandise and G-Hernandez Builders and Supply were also owned by the Scheurs. All five establishments have the same address as East Canayaon , G-Hernandez, Bohol .
The lady mayor only “divested” ownership of the business outfits shortly after she was elected as town executive in 2001. Named “manager” to take over the mayor's place was Sayson who until 2006 stood up as if she was the owner of the business establishments. Sayson's name appeared as sole proprietor of the three business entities in the Department of Trade and Industry registration. Since her termination, the three business firms were under a different dummy in the name of Fe Jamero Paguican. In a 12-page Position Paper for Complainant prepared by lawyer Isabelo Sales, Jr., as legal counsel, Sayson narrated how she was unceremoniously booted out from her employment as clerk and cashier of the Scheurs. A small wisp of a woman, Sayson believed that she was terminated from work after her lady employer was harboring suspicion that she was getting the attention of her husband. Sayson dismissed the inexplicable jealousy as totally unfounded and basically absurd.
EXPLOSIVE DETAILS
Another explosive detail of the Sayson complaint was that the G-Hernandez General Merchandize was used by the mayor to transact business with regards to barangay and municipal projects of the municipality. Another entity, the G-Hernandez Builders and Supply, was used in transacting business with the Department of Public Works and Highways. DPWH projects in the town was handled by this firm including transactions in neighboring municipalities. The Post was showed a rundown of all transactions of the local government involving either the G-Hernandez General Merchandise and the G-Hernandez Builders and Supply. In an interview with the complainant after the Post got hold of the position paper, she confided that in all the transactions made in behalf of the municipality, public biddings were supposedly conducted but they were all for show. She said the bidding were rigged to make sure that the outfit owned by the mayor would come out as the winner. The complainant substantiated the allegations by saying that all the cash bonds representing the “dier” (the tender offer that lost in the bid) were put up by the winning bidder in this case, the G-Hernandez General Merchandise if the project involved the LGU. The dummy arrangement put Sayson in a precarious situation when she was directed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue to submit certain documents under pain of prosecution. This happened last June after her name appeared as owner of the Scheurs-owned businesses. What she did was demand from respondent for said documents but the same was ignored. To protect herself from BIR prosecution, she was forced to execute an affidavit denying ownership of the business establishments owned by the Scheurs.
LABOR LAW VIOLATIONS
The illegal dismissal case opened a can of worms during her employment with the Scheurs. Aside from being underpaid of the mandated minimum pay, the complainant was not given her due in overtime pay, holiday pay, premium pay, 13th month pay and no sick and vacation leave incentives. The complainant is asking for a total of P700,000 in damages including the difference in the minimum wage, and all other fees due her.
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