Ombud clears Catmon social worker

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas has cleared a social welfare officer of Catmon town from misconduct for lack of substantial evidence.

Graft investigator Maria Regina Hagad-Fernandez found no evidence to hold respondent Erlinda Sucalit guilty of the complaint for misconduct.

The anti-graft body said that even the witness of the complainant, Ruben Ares, president of the association of senior citizens in Catmon, Cebu failed to categorically state that it was respondent who personally collected and received the money.

In his complaint, Ares said pursuant to Republic Act 9257, senior citizens were provided with discounts on certain purchases and such discounts are recorded in purchase booklets.

Purchase booklets, he said were free of charge by the municipality. But the respondent allegedly charged P25 each of the senior citizens who came to her office to ask for the purchase of booklet.

Sucalit denied the allegation.

She said her office did not charge or collect payment for the purchased of booklets citing that the purchase booklets were not in her custody but in the custody and control of the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs.

Sucalit, however, said that she was aware of the P25 collected from each senior citizens who ask for the booklet.

But she said it was the former president of the senior citizens association, Andres Molina, Jr., who asked for it.  (FREEMAN)