Tuesday, August 10, 2004 Collector 'missing'; vault at City Hall opened
CEBU CITY -- A Cebu City Hall team opened the cash vault of a collector who has yet to show up for work since taking a two-month leave last June.
The City Treasurer's Office wanted to trace the cash and accountable forms with Rebecca Mahusay to avoid another possible loss of millions in government funds.
Mahusay, who holds office at the license and fees division, is tasked to collect miscellaneous fees, barangay remittances and liquidation of cash advances by disbursing officers.
Acting City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo said the opening of the vault had to be done to determine if Mahusay failed to remit some collections before she took a leave.
A representative from the Commission on Audit (COA) witnessed the opening last Thursday.
"We had to open the vault because her leave was approved by the administrative division without clearance and without passing through my office. Mahusay also failed to comply with the forms needed for her report of cash collections and other accountable forms on hand," Camarillo told Sun.Star.
COA rules provide that failure of an accountable office to cover any shortage of public funds within 48 hours from audit is already a ground for embezzlement charges.
The audit team is still reconciling the used and unused official receipts with Mahusay's daily statements of collections and the cash found from her vault.
The license and fees division initially reported that Mahusay only failed to turn over one stub of official receipts but when the vault was opened, several stubs were retrieved.
In Manila
Mahusay, wife of former Hipodromo barangay councilor Federico Mahusay, filed a sick leave for June and July but she no longer returned after that.
Mahusay also did not apply for a leave extension.
Federico reportedly told the team last Thursday that Rebecca is still sick and is now staying in Manila with their child.
Sun.Star tried but failed to contact the Mahusays Monday. A barangay official said the Mahusays have already transferred to another residence.
An administrative staff at the City Treasurer's Office said they had sent a notice to Mahusay regarding the opening of the vault. Federico came to witness the inspection instead.
Sought for comment Monday, Mayor Tomas Osmeņa said, "Sorry, this is the first time I heard about this. I will tell Juancho to assign somebody to investigate."
City Administrator Juan Saul "Juancho" Montecillo said he only learned over the weekend about Mahusay's absence and told Camarillo to submit the report for further investigation by the City Attorney's Office.
Second collector
Mahusay is the second collector investigated this year.
Last February, Malou Creer, a real property tax collector, was ordered to repay a taxpayer some P144,000, which she had collected without validating the official receipt.
Creer had admitted she used the money "for personal reasons." She was later dismissed from government service for "dishonesty."
Years back, three City Hall paymasters also figured in a cash scam for running away with millions of pesos.
Among Rosalina Badana, Cleofe Delute and Luz Gonzales, only Delute was convicted of embezzling more than P11 million in City Hall funds from 1995 to 1998. She is serving a jail term of 18 to 40 years.
Badana, who has yet to account for about P18 million, and Gonzales remain at large. GAC
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