Cagayan treasury loses P.5 million to robbers

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – Some P500,000 cash and valuable documents in connection with the alleged unaccountable P30 million fund of a town government in Cagayan were taken by thieves who broke into the town’s treasury office earlier this week. 

According to reports, at least five armed men broke into the Amulung town treasury around 11 p.m. Tuesday, by breaking the office’s main door and then ransacking its vault and drawers where cash and documents were being kept.

“(The thieves) entered through the main door and even entered the stock room where ballot boxes were located,” police said.

The incident came amid an ongoing probe regarding the town government’s P30-million allegedly unaccounted fund.

Besides the cash, reports indicated that the suspects also divested the treasury office of important documents, including liquidation papers for 2007 salaries, cash advances and operations expenses.

Amulung municipal treasurer Luzviminda Acacio believes that the thieves were after treasury documents that could be used by town officials to belie charges over the allegedly unaccounted town funds.

“The (suspects) were obviously looking for papers related to these charges,” said Acacio, stressing, however, that there were no missing or unaccounted funds in the town. 

The town hall had no special security guards, being adjacent to the municipal police station, it was learned.