TWO former elected officials were arrested by police in one of the towns in Zamboanga del Norte, on Thursday, April 12, for failure to report to a provincial auditor after ending their terms of office.
Chief Inspector Helen Galvez, Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula information officer, said Jerom Sulit, 37, and Efrn Esic, 47, both former municipal councilors in La Libertad, Zamboanga del Norte, were arrested in Piñan, Zamboanga del Norte around 2:20 p.m. Thursday by virtue of a warrant of arrest.
Galvez said the two have standing warrants of arrest issued by the Piñan-La Libertad 2nd Municipal Circuit Trial Court for violation of Article 218 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.
Article 218 requires any public officer, whether in the service or separated from by resignation or any other cause, to render account to the Insular Auditor, or to a provincial auditor.
Those who will fail to do so for a period of two months after such accounts should be rendered, shall be punished by prision correccional in its minimum period, or by a fine ranging from P200 to P6,000, or both.
Galvez said that the two former town officials have attained temporary liberty after each of them posted P6,000 bail. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)