Charges to be filed for missing P70-M DA-Caraga funds

GENERAL LUNA, Siargao Island, Philippines  – Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala vowed yesterday to file charges against those responsible for the disappearance of P70 million in funds from the Department of Agriculture (DA) office in the Caraga region.

In an ambush interview here yesterday, Alcala said he was waiting for the results of the special audit of DA-Caraga funds. “We cannot just let this pass,” he said.

Alcala denied allegations that he ordered DA-Caraga director Edna Mabeza to stop giving information to the media regarding the disappearance of the funds.

DA-Caraga regional office finance and administration services chief Jessica Daan said they found more than 100 checks in the vault of the DA regional office in Butuan City in June last year.

Daan said the discovery was made after DA-Caraga disbursing officer Mariza Balaba Salise went absent without official leave starting April 26, 2011.

She said the checks were all marked cancelled. However, investigation showed that the checks were encashed at the Land Bank of the Philippines and Philippine Veterans Bank.

COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza called for a deeper probe into the disappearance of the DA funds. She said she does not believe that only one person was responsible for the encashment of the checks.

 “Maybe COA auditors assigned at the DA-Caraga office should be investigated,” Mendoza said.