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Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Graft raps vs Philphost market specialist junked
A MARKETING specialist of the Philippine Postal Corporation (Philpost) in Baguio was acquitted of charges of malversation of public funds after she allegedly pocketed more than P30,000 in stamp fees three years ago.
In a 12-page decision, Judge Ruben Ayson of the City's Regional Trial Court -Branch 6 acquitted Angelita Tictic due to lack of evidence.
"The prosecution did not present any evidence whatsoever to prove their allegation in the Information that was entrusted with receiving cash by reason of her designation as a marketing specialist," he added.
Court records showed that former Philpost-Cordillera director Gerardo Viterbo sued Tictic after being informed of an audit report indicating that the accused cannot account for philatelic stamps worth P32,383.80 issued her.
The philatelic stamps or newly-released stamps issued to Tictic were supposed to be used as display or exhibit in schools and other institutions for six months before it will be used as official mail stamps of Philpost-Cordillera.
Tictic was accused selling the philatelic stamps to still unknown buyers.
In her defense, Tictic stressed it would be next to impossible that she sold the stamps because her function was a marketing specialist, who is not authorize to sell any stamps.
She added that she kept the folder containing the philatelic stamps at the steel filing cabinet of the legal office of Philpost-CAR after she displayed them in various learning institutions in the city.
Lawyer Jovelyn Arabe, former Philpost-CAR legal counsel, said she discovered a number of philatelic stamps while sorting documents and she turned them over to a custodian.
"The prosecution evidence clearly falls short of the quantum of proof required and does not fulfill and pass the test of moral certainty to be deemed sufficient to support a conviction," Ayson's decision read.
(June 1, 2004 issue)
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