By SEN GUINGGUING
Sunday Post
A confidential information leaked to the Post showed that the “floatingâ€
Pilar municipal treasurer has a collection shortage to the tune of P1.9 million.
This was contained in the final demand letter sent to Pilar Municipal Treasurer Fermina Margatinez from the Bureau of Local Finance. This office is under the Department of Finance which conducted an audit on the treasurer’s financial operations.
The shortage was also found in the latest Commission on Audit report in CY 2008. The shortage was supposed to be paid end of January, 2009.
An incident in Pilar just before New Year jolted the sleepy town when the municipal local government officer and the budget officer were waylaid while on their way to the house of Calixta Orapa. She is Pilar’s the budget officer. The suspect used a hand gun in the attack only that the firearm jammed sparing the lives of the would-be liquidation victims. Another suspect lobbed a grenade but the two also escape the explosion unhurt. They then sought protective custody from Camp Dagohoy, seat of power of the Bohol Police Command.
MLGOO Joseph Malabosa and Orapa caught the ire of the suspects after they filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas against the Pilar municipal treasurer.
In their follow up letter dated January 21, 2009 to Deputy Ombudsman Pelagio Apostol, the two sought for the suspension of the town treasurer who has since in floating assignment at the Provincial Treasurer’s Office.
Earlier, the two complainants accused before the Ombusdman last October their municipal treasurer for malversation of public funds and other irregularities.
The two also implicated Municipal Accountant Jean De la Pena due to another cash shortage amounting to P93,878.51 as reflected in the COA Annual Audit Report of CY 2007 for LGU-Pilar.
The two further told the Ombudsman that the cash shortages constituted another multiple counts of malversation of public funds aside from the COA Annual Audit reports for CYs 2006, 2005 and 2004.
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