City lawyer "altered" CCMC officer's letter to PhilHealth

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Medical Center credit officer Lourdes Archua claimed a city lawyer altered her letter report to PhilHealth about the lost of the 28 checks.

Archua, who was solely blamed for the incident, returned to the witness stand yesterday for cross-examination relative to her petition for injunction seeking to stop the on going administrative investigation by the Special Administrative Investigation Committee of the City Hall.

She said Lawyer Gerone Castillo of the City Legal Office altered her letter to PhilHealth to make it appear that she was the sole responsible for the lost of the 28 checks amounting to P240,000 on May 6, 2010.

According to Archua, her original letter addressed to PhilHealth states that, "this is to officially inform your office that 28 PhilHealth checks were lost in our custody on May 6, 2010."

However, Castillo reportedly changed "our custody" into "my custody" to exculpate CCMC chief of hospital Dr. Myrna Go and city treasurer staff Mary Grace Lopez.

Archua said Castillo told her that it was not Go and Lopez who were responsible for the lost checks but her. She, however, insisted that it was not her but Lopez who released the checks.

Archua said she was only forced to accept the release order handed to her but claimed she did not make the actual release. Regional Trial Court Judge Gabriel Ingles asked Archua why she presented her alleged altered letter only yesterday.

According to her, she was looking for it a long time ago but found it only recently. She also explained that she did not mention about the altered letter before because she did not have the proof until when she found it Friday.

Lawyer June Maracas, representing the city government, said she was surprised when an alleged altered letter was presented yesterday by Atty. Gloria Lastimosa Dalawampu.

Inglis gave both parties five days to submit their formal offer and comment before the case will be submitted for resolution.

Archua earlier filed a petition for injunction against Mayor Michael Rama and City Legal Office personnel as chairman and members, respectively, of the especial in-vestigation committee that looks into the disappearance of the checks.

Archua wanted the court to order the committee to conduct a fair hearing, aside from seeking access to transcript of stenographic notes and other records of the case. She also wanted to be allowed the right to record the administrative proceedings.

Archua contended that the committee has been unfairly conducting an investigation against her. (FREEMAN)