A veteran bookkeeper of the Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Northern Samar has accused top officials of orchestrating a campaign of harassment, suspension and payroll exclusion after he publicly criticized alleged “irregular exactions” from teachers and other personnel.
DepEd Northern Samar has categorically denied all the accusations, calling them “baseless, self-serving and unfair.”
The complainant, District Senior Bookkeeper Andrio Martires, has long used his personal Facebook account to highlight what he claims are “long-running, unaddressed irregularities” inside the division office.
In an interview with OpinYon 8, Martires said he first drew ire in 2023 when he sent a formal report to DepEd Central Office that resulted in the suspension of seven officials during the tenure of then-Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Dr. Gorgonio Diaz.
“When Gaudencio C. Aljibe Jr. took over as SDS, we agreed I would raise issues with him first before going public,” Martires recalled.
“But when teachers complained they were being told to chip in for hotel and meal expenses during an ‘Oplan Balik Eskwela’ visit in October 2023, my report was ignored. Only after I posted online did I become a target.”
Martires allagedly had three Show-Cause Orders, and a Formal Charge dated 14 April 2024 placing him under 90-day preventive suspension.
He said the suspension—followed by the alleged loss of his approved DTRs for October to December 2023—deprived him of six months’ salary.
“During that time my diabetic mother died. I had no income for her medicine,” he said.
He further claimed that SDS Aljibe once urged him to file cases against other division employees “opposed to the present leadership,” an instruction he refused.
“Their answer was to suspend me,” he added.
Refutations
However, DepEd Northern Samar firmly rejects Martires’ narrative.
“All allegations are baseless and malicious,” the division office said.
It added that the said contributions in Capul were “voluntary expressions of hospitality” and that school heads had already executed sworn statements to that effect.
Martires counters that those affidavits were secured under duress.
He cited one principal who allegedly wept during a closed-door meeting and later suffered a mild stroke.
“People are terrified,” he said. “They signed because they feared administrative charges.”
In a brief statement, DepEd Central Office confirmed receipt of Martires’ complaint but said it “cannot comment on matters under review.”
Laws violated?
Meanwhile, several Civil society groups in Northern Samar have begun monitoring the episode.
“If true, the retaliation violates both the Whistleblower Protection provisions in Republic Act 9485 and the Code of Conduct for Public Officials,” a netizen posted.
“But it is equally important to ascertain if the whistleblower himself followed internal protocols.”
For now, Martires remains assigned to report to his district office under an October 2024 memorandum he claims contravenes DepEd Order 024, s. 2020.
“I don’t know where to stand or sit,” he said ruefully. “But I won’t stop talking. If my voice shakes the system, so be it.”
As the standoff drags on, educators in this poverty-stricken province of more than 630,000 people are left to wonder whether the unfolding battle will end in reform, resignation—or more recrimination.
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