Ex-City Hall employee charged for falsification of document

CEBU, Philippines - A former employee of Cebu City Hall faces charges before Regional Trial Court for falsifying public documents.

Iolani Baracao, treasury operation officer I of the Office of Cebu City Treasurer was formally charged before the RTC after graft investigator Luanne Ivy Cabatingan recommended for the filing of the criminal case with a bail bond of P24, 000 for his temporary liberty.

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 during the term of former Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who requested for the operation.

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.

Investigation revealed the business permit was printed allegedly by Bartiquin on March 8, 2005 and it appears in Mayor’s Business Permit No. 000977 issued to Arquillano on March 8, 2005 was forged.

However, in the counter-affidavit of Baracao, she denied the charges against her, claiming she did not know Arquillano but admitted she knew Corazon Tumulak as former classmate in high school who was entrusted by Aquillano to process the mayor’s business permit renewal.

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 and not her. (FREEMAN)