Ombudsman finds Antiporda guilty of harassment, oppression of NIA employees

In a decision dated 11 September but released only to reporters on Monday, the Ombudsman found former National Irrigation Administration acting administrator Benny Antiporda guilty of acts of "harassment" and "oppression" toward one of his NIA staff who questioned his policies and activities, which the Ombudsman said showed "cruelty, severity, unlawful exaction, domination, or excessive use of authority."

Antiporda was slapped with a one-year suspension without pay.

According to the Ombudsman, should Antiporda be separated from the service, he should still settle a penalty equivalent to his one-year salary in NIA.

The complaint against Antiporda arose from his questioned actions, such as posting a security detail, turning off the electricity in the complainant's office, breaching the flexi-time arrangement, and implementing an office lockdown without prior notice, among others.

"Government employees are supposed to be well-mannered, civil and considerate in their actuations, not only in their relations with the transacting public, but also with their co-workers," the Ombudsman said.

"Respondent Antiporda's acts failed to live up to the high standards required of a government employee," it added.

In November 2022, the Ombudsman also imposed a six-month preventive suspension without pay on Antiporda arising from the administrative complaint filed against him by several officers and employees of NIA.

Antiporda was accused of committing "grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, harassment, oppression, and ignorance of the law," all of which were filed separately with the Ombudsman.

However, in the latest decision, the Ombudsman dropped other complaints against Antiporda, such as grave misconduct and ignorance of the law, with the court ruling that his actions "do not constitute grave misconduct" and that the case lacked the necessary elements of corruption and obvious intent to violate the law.