Mayor Soc orders probe into malversation case

Talisay City Mayor Socrates Fernandez yesterday ordered the city legal officer to investigate a malversation case inside the city treasurer's office where an employee allegedly tampered a tax receipt and pocketed part of the tax payment.

"You are hereby advised to investigate an alleged case of malversation of public funds that happened inside the treasurer's office," Fernandez told legal officer Aurora Econg in a memorandum released yesterday.

The mayor's action came on the heels of the expose that city councilor Allan Bucao made in his privilege speech during the council's latest session.

Bucao disclosed that a male teller of the treasurer's office allegedly pocketed a part of the amount collected from a taxpayer while tampering the receipt of the payment in an apparent attempt to cover the wrongdoing.

The taxpayer, incidentally a government employee also, raised the matter to Bucao's office. She alleged that after paying P250 for her professional tax she noticed the teller placed cardboard between the original receipt copy and the carbonized duplicate copy.

Bucao later went to verify the allegation and found out that the duplicate copy, held by the teller, indicated the payer's name and the same receipt number but has the amount of P10 only and for payment of police clearance.

Bucao said a case was already filed against the teller at the Ombudsman while the session's presiding officer at the time, councilor Shirley Belleza, referred the matter to councilor Serrie Restauro, public ethics and good governance committee chairman.

Belleza said the council should have a stand on the issue after the Restauro panel comes up with its findings. - Liv G. Campo