Village exec gets 11 years for malversation

MANILA, Philippines — A barangay treasurer in Baguio City has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for allegedly pocketing cash prizes of winners in a sports competition.

In a 27-page ruling promulgated on Sept. 17, the Sandiganbayan Third Division upheld a decision of the Baguio City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 5, which found Romel Beltran of Camp 7 guilty of four counts of malversation.

The Third Division modified the RTC decision, which sentenced Beltran to four to seven years and six months in prison for four counts of the offense.

Instead, the anti-graft court sentenced Beltran to two years and eight months to 11 years and eight months in prison, with the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from public office.

The case stemmed from Beltran’s encashment of a check amounting to P52,000 in 2011. The money was intended as cash prizes for winners in the 2011 Sportsfest organized by the Sangguniang Kabataan.

Meanwhile, the treasurer of Sagay City in Negros Occidental is under investigation for allegedly failing to distribute P7.3 million in emergency allowance of health workers who served during the COVID pandemic.

Sagay Mayor Narciso Javelosa Jr. said doctors, nurses and other health workers of the Alfredo Marañon Sr. District Memorial Hospital filed a complaint against Juvy Pinongan for not releasing their allowance.

Javelosa said Pinongan told him she was busy and forgot the combination of the vault where the money was being kept.