Aviation exec gets job back

MANILA, Philippines—The civil service Commission (CSC) has ordered the reinstatement of the deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) after voiding the administrative proceedings that led to his dismissal.

In a 20-page resolution dated Feb. 8, the CSC ruled that the investigating body which found CAAP Deputy Director General Daniel Dimagiba guilty of five counts of misconduct was invalidly constituted by CAAP Director General Ruben Ciron.

“The Commission orders the immediate reinstatement of appellant Dimagiba with payment of back salaries and other benefits from the time of dismissal until his actual reinstatement...without prejudice to the commencement of an administrative case against [him] if warranted,” the CSC ruled.

The CSC said Ciron erred in forming the investigative body, pointing to a Supreme Court ruling that only the appointing authority had disciplinary jurisdiction over a public official.

In Dimagiba’s case, the CSC said, he was appointed in July 2008 by the CAAP board and not by Ciron.

“After careful scrutiny of records, the Commission finds no evidence showing that the board delegated to Ciron the authority to initiate the administrative proceedings against appellant Dimagiba,” the CSC said.