Beleaguered NCSC chair ‘open to investigation’

National Commission of Senior Citizens chairperson Franklin Quijano on Monday said he is open for investigation after five out of seven NCSC commissioners asked him to step down.

His statement came three days after NCSC Commissioners Mary Jean Loreche, Ricardo Rainier Cruz III, Enriqueta Rodeles, Edwin Espejo and Reymar Mansilungan signed a manifesto calling for Quijano to step down for alleged grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct, gross negligence of duty, ignorance of the law and conduct inimical to the interest of the public.

Quijano said he was “dumbfounded” by the allegations.

“I am hoping that before accusing me in public, I should have been confronted with documents, papers, and evidence. I didn’t get that. I was hoping that we have a due process,” Quijano told reporters in a press conference in Quezon City.

“[I am] opening up NCSC to public scrutiny then let them see,” he added.

As a newly created agency, only in 2016, Quijano agreed that there should be a need for a review of “what has failed and what was accomplished and pursue a thorough review of the entire commission.”

“To my mind, given my ignorance of why and how what transpired, it would be best to be educated, even as hard as it sounds, to be investigated by the proper body and or authority so that we get to the bottom of all these allegations and determine really not only who is at fault but more importantly how the commission can actually do better,” Quijano added.

He also called on the Office of the President, Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission, and the National Bureau of Investigation to undertake the review as well as to determine “who is responsible for what.”

'I am hoping that before accusing me in public, I should have been confronted with documents, papers, and evidence. I didn’t get that. I was hoping that we have a due process.'

In a press conference last Friday, the five commissioners warned that 12 million senior citizens could be impacted negatively if Quijano continues to perform as chairman.

“The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) allocated P3 billion for the amended Centenarian Law, which may not suffice, necessitating a P5 billion budget request. This shortfall means not all octogenarians and nonagenarians will receive their entitlements,” Espejo said.

Espejo revealed during a Congressional hearing on the NCSC budget this year that the commissioners were not consulted regarding the budget allocation for fiscal year 2024.

He disclosed that for 2022, out of the P181 million allocated by the DBM, P150 million went unused and was reverted to the Bureau of Treasury.

Similarly, in 2023, out of the P179 million allocated, P109 million remained unutilized by the midpoint of the year, reflecting a budget utilization rate of less than 30 percent.

Conversely, the commissioners accused Quijano of serious abuses of authority.

These include unilaterally signing contracts such as consultancy agreements worth P5 million for crafting the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act 11350, office rent agreements in Cebu and Manila in 2023, memoranda of agreements with various private entities, and purchases of vehicles and office equipment without consulting the collegial body.

Furthermore, they alleged that Quijano disregarded the law by refusing to acknowledge President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s authority to appoint officers and employees to career executive service positions within the NCSC.

They also accused him of ignoring opinions and resolutions from the DBM, Career Executive Service Board (CESB), and Department of Social Welfare and Development. Additionally, the commissioners criticized Quijano for neglecting to address issues raised by fellow commissioners regarding employee conduct at the central office and for failing to respect the authorities of the DBM and CESB regarding qualifications and appointments to career executive service posts in the NCSC.