Soldier returns P.1-M excess withdrawal

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The finance officer of the Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade based in Malaybalay City proved himself to be a true soldier and a gentleman when he returned to the Landbank branch here an excess withdrawal of P100,000.

Reports said S/Sgt. Antero Aurita withdrew a huge sum last Tuesday for the subsistence and five-day commutation allowances of members of the 403rd IB.

Upon returning to their headquarters in Malaybalay, Aurita discovered that the amount the Landbank teller handed him was over by P100,000.

Without hesitation, Aurita immediately went back to the bank and returned the excess withdrawal to the relief of the bank teller.

Maj. Gen. Cardoza Luna, commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said Aurita’s honesty was "worth emulating."

There were also similar past incidents when military officers returned money to local banks.

A certain Capt. Precilda, a disbursing officer of the defunct Civil Military Office, returned at least P500,000 to a bank.

One T/Sgt. Olarte, of the Communications and Electronics Group, also returned an unspecified overpayment to a local bank.