DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 21 June) – Five of the seven-member National Commission on Senior Citizens (NCSC) on Friday called for the “immediate resignation” of their chair and chief executive officer, lawyer Franklin Quijano, 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.
The NCSC, established by Republic Act 11350 in 2019, has a seven-member Commission chaired by Quijano, whose six-year term is supposed to end in September 2025.
Under the law, the chair and commissioners have a six-year term “without prejudice to reappointment by the President.”
The commissioners’ complaints were contained in five-page manifesto titled “Time for Change, Time to Exit,” which was submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a press conference at a restaurant outside Malacanang at 11 a.m., Commissioners Ricardo Rainier Cruz, Enriqueta Rodeles, Mary Jean Loreche, Edwin Espejo and Reymar Mansilungan said it is “painful yet necessary and a must decision” for them to call on Quijano’s immediate resignation “on grounds that are to the best interest of public service and most specially for the general welfare of the 12 million senior citizens in the country.”
But Quijano, a former mayor of Iligan City, told MindaNews the allegations are “way basihan” (without basis).
“I will not resign,” he said. “Why will I resign? Their accusations are baseless,” he reiterated.
The manifesto listed a litany of complaints under the headings grave abuse of authority, gross misconduct, gross negligence of duty, ignorance of the law, and conduct inimical to interest of the public.
“Majority of the issues and acts of commission and non-commission we accused the Chair with are in the report of the joint committee of the House of Representatives which conducted an investigation following a privilege speech of Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes in August 2022,” the manifesto said.
Ordanes represents the Senior Citizens Party-list in Congress.
“Sadly, many of their findings, which called for reforms and corrections, are continuously being ignored by the chair,” they said. “Worse, he is repeatedly committing acts deemed by the House of Representatives as illegal, improper and whimsical,” the manifesto said.
Quijano denied the allegations.
The five commissioners called on Quijano to “tender his unequivocable resignation – immediately and unconditionally – to save the NCSC from becoming his personal fiefdom.” (MindaNews)
