TENSIONS ARISE among members of the Ateneo Employees and Workers Union (AEWU) as the lack of financial transparency and power struggle between the AEWU’s previous and current administration continue.

According to Electronics, Computer and Communications Engineering Department Facilities Supervisor and former AEWU Public Relations Officer Sonny Toledo, the executive board under former AEWU President Tobias Tano did not release the union’s financial statements from 2001 to 2014.

Tano served as the union’s president from 1994 until February 2015.

Toledo explained that AEWU members only saw a financial statement in 2007 when then-treasurer Ting Plaza gave it to them.

The said financial statement contained details about the AEWU’s expenses, some of which were excessive according to several AEWU members.

“Kaya naman binigay ‘to sa akin ni Mr. Ting Plaza para ipakita sa mga tao na wala siyang kinalaman sa pag-ubos ng pera. Siya ‘yung naging transparent (The reason why Mr. Ting Plaza gave it to me is to show people that he knew nothing about the depletion of money. It was he who became transparent),” he said.

Toledo further noted that Plaza admitted to him that “nagagamit ang pera sa ibang paraan (The funds were being appropriated for other things).”

Lack of financial transparency

According to Toledo, Tano’s administration never released financial statements to AEWU members despite the union’s constitution mandating them to do so 30 days after the end of the calendar year.

Toledo also noted that the 2007 financial statement issued by Plaza contained dubious expenses.

He highlighted that the union spent Php 131,056 on allowances for that fiscal year.

Toledo also questioned the union’s outing survey expenses for that year, which amounted to Php 35,647.65. The outing survey expenses supposedly covered ocular inspections for the AEWU’s out-of-town seminars and conferences.

“Nag-survey ka lang ng lugar, bakit ka gagastos ng ganyan? (You just surveyed a venue, why would you spend that much on it?)” he added.

Moreover, Toledo pointed out that food expenses amounted to Php 70,000 in 2007.

He suspects that these expenses explain the AEWU’s depleted funds in recent years.

To illustrate the deficit, Toledo cited the lack of available funds for AEWU members requesting financial aid for the burial of deceased relatives.

However, Joseph Villanueva, AEWU’s treasurer from 2010 to 2014, said that Tano and the rest of AEWU’s executive board reported the financial statements he prepared during the union’s general assemblies.

He noted that the board’s financial reports then were accurate and that the union’s financial statements were always available for viewing in his office.

In addition, he said that the union’s funds were sufficient and balanced during his period. “Sumasapat ‘yung pera eh (The funds are enough).”

Leadership rift

While Tano’s term as president ended in February 2015, he continued to serve in the union as an adviser to incumbent AEWU President Sonny Amata.

Amata said that he initially “enjoyed the luxury of being president [with Tano]” as his advisor, citing Tano’s years of experience in the union’s leadership.

He added that during Tano’s term, he trusted Tano such that “hindi ako nakikialam sa pinansyal na aspekto ng unyon (I did not meddle in the financial affairs of the union).”

“Super laki ‘yung tiwala ko sa dati naming president. Hindi ako nagduda sa kanya (I had so much faith in our former president. I did not doubt him at all),” Amata added.

He noted that because of his trust, he initially did not consider Toledo’s and other union members’ clamours for financial transparency.

However, Amata said his perspective on Tano changed after Tano began seizing control of the union’s affairs as an adviser.

“Hindi [tama] ‘yung didiktahan niya ako kung ano ang dapat gawin sa unyon (It’s not right for him to dictate what happens in this union),” Amata added.

He cited how Tano rushed him to facilitate Tano’s son’s entry into the high school’s employee division.

Amata claimed that he did the paperwork for Tano’s son but Tano was constantly berating him to file grievances against the university’s administration.

He also said that Tano used his position as his adviser to facilitate a loan worth Php 220,000 for someone outside the union. As of press time, only Php 50,000 of the loan has been paid back to the union’s treasurer.

Amata said that after this discovery, he felt that “para akong naging tau-tauhan; nakaupo ako dito [bilang pangulo na] para akong tanga tas biglang sasabog sa ‘kin yung ganung isyu (I was used as his middleman; here I was sitting as president and all of a sudden an issue like this explodes).”

He said that the last straw was Tano telling him to resign on June 8.

“Siguro sa pakiramdam niyang dalawampung taon siyang pangulo ng unyon, pakiramdam niya superior pa rin siya kahit retirado na siya, kahit adviser na lamang siya (Maybe he still feels he’s superior after serving as the union’s president for 20 years, even if he has already retired and is just an adviser),”Amata added.

As of press time, Tano has not been available for comment.

Different views

Members of the AEWU expressed mixed reactions when asked about the alleged lack of financial transparency within the union’s previous administration.

Incumbent AEWU Sergeant-at-Arms Damian Palmero said that the previous administration performed its duties well and that corruption allegations directed to Tano lack pertinent bases because the money does not go to his office directly.

“20 years siya [naglingkod] bilang presidente. Kung corrupt siya, dapat dalawa o tatlong taon pa lang dapat sinipa na siya (He served as president for 20 years. If he was corrupt, he should have been kicked out of the position two or three years into his term),” he said.

Villanueva shared similar sentiments, saying that the allegedly extravagant expenses the previous administration incurred were normal.

“Basta ‘pag may outing, pinag-gagastusan, may seminar, recorded lahat ‘yun (If ever there were outings, other expenditures, seminars, everything was put on record),” he added.

Maintenance personnel John Dela Cruz*, on the other hand, pointed out otherwise, saying that the previous administration lacked financial transparency, dubbing it as “hidden agenda.”

According to him, the previous administration often failed to disclose financial statements to its members, leaving them clueless as to where their money goes.

As for incumbent AEWU Secretary Benito Rabara, the previous president should only fulfill their role as advisers of the current administration without meddling in its decisions.

“Dapat ang masunod [na] desisyon ‘yung sa ngayon. Adviser lang yung nakaraan so kailangan ‘pag mag-advise, hindi ‘yung tipong masusunod [siya] (The decision of the current administration has to be followed. The past president serves only as an adviser and when they advise, they should not be immediately followed),” he said.

Moving forward

Amata said that he is currently making the effort to restore financial transparency in the union.

“Sa ngayon sinisikap kong humanap ng paraan para maibalik sa dati ‘yung financial na aspekto ng unyon (As of now I’m trying to find a way to bring back the old financial aspect of the union),” he added.

14 years later, Toledo remains steadfast in his clamour for transparency and accountability in the union.

“Ang bottomline doon sa sinabi ko is magpakita kayo ng financial statement para mawala ‘yung mga agam-agam ng mga tao (The bottom line of what I’ve said is that they should show financial statements so that the unease of the members will disappear),” he said.

Toledo added that increasing the AEWU’s transparency efforts is not enough and that justice must be served on behalf of the AEWU’s members.

“Hindi dapat tumigil sa [transparency]. Laliman ninyo ‘yung imbestigasyon. Bakit nagkaganyan? (It shouldn’t end with transparency. Deepen the investigation. Why did this happen in the first place?)” he said.

With reports from Joline S. Acampado

Editor’s Note: Names have been changed to protect the interviewee’s identity