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Laoag City council appeals to COA to open padlocked CTO office

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By Dominic B. dela Cruz (Staff Reporter)

Laoag City—In line with the PHP85.4 missing money form the city government’s coffers, the Sangguniang Panlungsod here appealed to the Commission on Audit (COA) to open the padlocked office of former city government treasurer Elena Asuncion, who has since absconded.

All council members present during a regular session unanimously approved the resolution for an inventory of the city government properties at the said office; and preserve those which needs to be preserved and to allow the use of the said office space by the city government in a manner the city deems appropriate.

Laoag councilor Juan Conrado Respicio, who moved for the resolution’s approval, said that in June 2016, Asuncion absconded, which led to the discovery of the loss of more or less PHP85.4 million in taxpayers’ money of the city.

After the discovery of the missing funds, Respicio said COA padlocked the office, and has remains so until now.

Relative to this, he said the city government “desires to optimize the use of the said office and if need be, not allow any workable area to remain idle especially if such space could be put to beneficial use”.

This is the reason Respicio said that they need to appeal to the COA to take whatever appropriate action the government agency needs to take in relation to the padlocked office so that the city government could use the said office space.

As this developed, the Sangguniang Panlungsod conducted a series of committee hearings, “in aid of legislation” on the alleged PHP85.4 million missing funds from the city’s coffers last year in response to the approved City Resolution No.2020-02 sponsored by Laoag vice mayor and council presiding officer Atty. Vicentito Lazo to prove the still unresolved stolen taxpayers’ money.

City hall personnel allegedly involved from the cash division Milagros R. Quiape, Karen Mae Salvador-Racadio, Lani T. Ruiz, Antonete Bareng, OIC city treasurer Diomedes Gayban and city accountant Edgar Pascual attended the said hearings.

City legal counsel Atty. Josephus Neres was also present during the said hearings as he administered the oath to the persons invited.

The Ilocos Times learned that the breakdown of the missing fund are as follows: Land Bank of the Philippines, PHP22,766,270.57 in both savings and time deposit accounts; Development Bank of the Philippines, PHP36,296,252.75 in both savings and time deposit accounts; Philippine National Bank, PHP11,263,037.98 in both savings and time deposits’ and Rang-ay Bank, PHP15,079,904.59 savings accounts.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Laoag District Office thru agent-in-charge Atty. Diosdado N. Araos then filed a plunder case against Laoag City treasurer Elena V. Asuncion to the Office of the Ombudsman on February 23, 2017.

The NBI recommended administrative sanctions to be imposed against COA auditor Ramelin A. Guiang and COA audit team leader from 2012-2014 Michelle E. Simon. Accordingly, the COA audit team leader from 2007 to 2012 had already retired from service.

Similar sanctions were also imposed on city cashier Bella C. Santiago and others from the cash division: Milagros R. Quiape, Karen Mae Salvador-Racadio and Lani T. Ruiz, “who wittingly or witting or unwittingly allowed themselves to be used by Asuncion and who failed to safeguard the city government money in their custody and disposal”.

City accountant Edgar Pascual was also included in the recommendation for administrative sanction for omission in the performance of his duties and functions as city accountant.

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