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Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Treasurer's suspension order only preventive
By Victor L. Camion
PROVINCIAL Legal Officer Erwin Vergara clarified that the order of the Bureau of Local Government Finance in Central Visayas to suspend Bacong treasurer Necito Zamora did not mean the latter was guilty of the P1.8 million missing from the municipal coffers.
Vergara explained that the suspension order was only a measure to prevent any possible tampering with documents and other evidences inside the municipal treasurer's office.
"That will take time," said Vergara, referring to the investigation on the unliquidated P1.8 million cash advances discovered in an audit of the municipal government's financial statement in May last year.
Vergara gave his comment even as Provincial Treasurer Danilo Mendez suspended the finance bureau order in Central Visayas to ground Zamora for the cash shortage.
Mendez was supposed to implement the order last May 24 but decided to freeze it after Zamora filed a motion for reconsideration before the office of the finance bureau.
He said he would decide only after the same bureau acted on Zamora's petition.
The finance bureau had also recommended to the Municipal Government to temporarily replace Zamora.
Mendez said Mayor Rodolfo Yee was eyeing assistant treasurer Edna Villarin to take over.
Zamora blamed liquidation officer Guadalupe Sumagka, for the cash shortage in the municipal treasury discovered by an audit of the Department of Finance on May 2 to 6, 2005.
Vergara said Sumagka has been transferred to another office following the controversy.
Zamora had charged the liquidation officer with an administrative complaint for irregularity before the finance bureau on August 11, 2005 and a criminal complaint for malversation of public funds before the provincial prosecutors' office on January 11, 2006.
The municipal treasurer also filed both administrative and criminal charges against his officer before the Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas on January 31, 2006.
Sumagka denied involvement in the release of P1.8 million for the cash advances of unnamed ranking officials of the municipality.
"I have no knowledge of any cash shortage for I do not handle actual cash, I do not participate in cash-in and cash-out transactions," she said in her counter-affidavit dated April 6, 2006.
Sumagka said the persons accountable should be the ones charged.
(June 4, 2006 issue)
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