Osmeña wants Oliva back as city treasurer

CEBU, Philippines – Mayor Tomas Osmeña has recommended to the Bureau of Local Government-Finance that former city treasurer Ofelia Oliva assume her previous position in the government.

Although Osmeña did not say what the reply of BLGF was, a source at the City Treasurer’s Office told The FREEMAN that Oliva already conducted a meeting with her former staff.

When Osmeña was asked by reporters about his instruction to Oliva, the mayor said she should be aggressive in tax collection of all business establishments in the city.

The mayor said he believes Oliva is much better than former acting city treasurer Renee Empaces whom he recommended to be replaced for loss of confidence due to low performance.

Osmeña said while Empaces claimed that the city’s tax collection increased during her term, he learned that the reason why it went up is because of the sales of the lots at the South Road Properties.

When reporters asked Osmeña if he knew that Oliva was then investigated by the Ombudsman for allegedly amassing P14 million in unexplained wealth, the mayor said “I don’t care”.

The Ombudsman records showed that Oliva, who used to be the municipal treasurer of Calamba, Laguna, was ordered suspended for six months for alleged dishonesty and grave misconduct.

Her case stemmed from the complaint of the Department of Finance-Revenue Integrity Protection Service for failure to file her statements of assets, liabilities and net worth from 1972 to 2003 and then in 2005 and 2006. It said that Oliva only filed her SALN for 2004. — Rene U. Borromeo/BRP (THE FREEMAN)