LTO treasurer suspended for nine months

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman – Visayas has suspended an employee of the Land Transportation Office in Talisay City for nine months for gross insubordination.

The Ombudsman said Epitacio Cabrillos Jr. failed to render accounts, defined and penalized under Article 218 of the Revised Penal Code and Presidential Decree 1445 otherwise known as Government Auditing Code of the Philippines despite directives.

In his complaint, Cabrillos’ direct superior, Bernardo Borromeo Jr., said the respondent also refused to honor a series of memoranda issued to him to submit financial reports.

“In this case, complainant, being respondent’s superior officer, directed several times, respondent to submit the required financial reports. In fact, demands were made verbally and through series of memoranda. Despite all these orders, respondent was very adamant in not complying with any of the directives of complainant,” said Graft investigation and prosecution officer Llorene Grace Razo-Ompod.

Borromeo said Cabrillos was found to have incurred a discrepancy of over P7,000 during an audit conducted by the Internal Audit Department on August 7, 2012.

Because of the discrepancy, he was directed to submit the 2012 financial report, both verbally and through official memoranda, which Cabrillos reportedly failed to comply.

While he was found guilty in the administrative aspect of the case, the Ombudsman, however, cleared Cabrillos of any criminal liability.

“In this case, there is no evidence showing that respondent received an amount for which he was duty bound to account and failed to do so in order to qualify for the offense of failure to render accounts. It was not even clear as to what particular fund he should accounted for,” the resolution reads.

Ompod further ruled that the main act complained of was the alleged “willful failure” of respondent to obey the directive of his superior, which is administrative in nature and not criminal in nature.  (FREEMAN)