Ombuds indicted ex-CH employee for falsification

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas recommended the filing of falsification of public documents against a former employee of the Cebu City Hall before the court.

Graft investigator Luanne Ivy Cabatingan found probable cause to indict Iolani Baracao, treasury operation officer I, of the Office of Cebu City Treasurer.

However, Cabatingan cleared Concepcion Baratiquin, utility worker of Cebu City Hall for the same complaint after no probable cause established.

It was the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)-7 that arrested Baratiquin and Baracao upon the request of former mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Lawyer Medardo de Lemos of the NBI stated they conducted an investigation on November 7, 2006 Stall No. 33 Unit I, Carbon Market owned by Flora Arquillano due to reports on alleged fake business permit.

Arquillano’s stall was ordered closed in 2005 after it was discovered that it was operating on a fake business permit.

Document Examiner Romeo Varona of the PNP Crime Laboratory-7 issued a certification showing the signature of the officer-in-charge of the Business Permit Section, Elisa Gonzales, appearing in Mayor’s Business Permit No. 000977 issued to Arquillano on March 8, 2005 was forged.

Investigation revealed the business permit was printed allegedly by Bartiquin on March 8, 2005.

Arquillano entrusted Corazon Tumulak to process the permit but Tumulak referred and requested her former classmate, Baracao, to do the processing of the mayor’s business permit renewal that includes the payment to the Social Security System and Philhealth.

It was also Baracao who allegedly gave Tumulak the business permit which turned out to be a faked.

However, in the counter-affidavit of Baracao, she denied the charges against her, claiming she did not know Arquillano but admitted she knew Tumulak as former classmate in high school.

Baracao said she only helped Tumulak with regards to the steps in securing the business permit and even told her it will be better for her to hire the services of fixers.

“She had no participation in the falsification or issuance of Business Permits because it was against City Hall policy for employees to even follow up business transactions,” Cabatingan said in her recommendation.

For Bartiquin, her work was to print Business Tax Payment Certificates and Business Permits if the taxpayer presented an official receipt of the tax payment together with the application form and assessment form.

Bartiquin admitted she printed the business permit of Arquillano after the latter secured the requirements.

In the resolution of Cabatingan, she ruled that in the affidavit of Tumulak, the latter stated she asked for help from Baracao as the latter was working in the City Hall.

Tumulak said she entrusted Arquillano’s Business Tax Payment Certificate and P400 for payment to Philhealth and SSS requirements to Baracao.

Cabatingan said the business permit was forged by making it appear that it was signed by the Business Permit Section’s officer-in-charge. — (FREEMAN)