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[av_heading heading=’Discrepancy discovered in CSWDO record, rice stocks ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Friday, May 12, 2017
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ILOILO City – The City Social Welfare and Development Office’s (CSWDO) record was not in sync with the actual number of sacks of rice kept in its stockroom, according to the team tasked to conduct a physical inventory of the office’s relief goods.
Where was an “excess” of around 400 sacks of rice in the storeroom, said City Administrator Hernando Galvez, referring to the sacks of rice that were not reflected in the CSWDO record.
Galvez, however, did not give exact figures of the rice and other relief goods that the inventory team counted. He said the result of the inventory would be forwarded for further scrutiny to the ad hoc committee that Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog also created to investigate alleged anomalies at the CSWDO.
“Wala sila sang nakita nga kulang… ang existing goods, sinako bugas nagwa nga sobra kaysa dapat nga numero sini kon basehan ang in and out nga document,” said Galvez.
The inventory started on April 20. Atty. Mary Joan Montaño, chief of the city government’s Internal Audit Service Office, headed the physical inventory team.
A motor vehicle of CSWDO was allegedly seen delivering sacks of rice to certain stores.
Two CSWDO employees – stockroom personnel Edwin Florendo and driver Jonathan Celiz – were relieved from their respective duties following allegations last month.
The ad hoc committee tasked to investigate the allegation is headed by City Legal Office chief Atty. Lorna Laurea.
Galvez urged witnesses to come out “so as to ensure nga ma-gather naton ang matuod…Help us get to the bottom of the controversy.”
Florendo and Celiz denied pilfering CSWDO’s relief goods.
Galvez was quick to stress that, “We are not convicting anybody here…they enjoy the presumption of innocence.”
Also making up the inventory team were Engr. Eduardo Vargas Jr. of the General Services Office, Edsel Muyuela of the City Accounting Office and Precious Hope Morante and Norwin Diaz, both of the City Legal Office.
CSWDO head Fred Villanueva was not relieved from his post. The allegation surprised him, he said, but he welcomed the investigation.
“Daw indi ko magpati,” he said, that CSWDO rice and other relief goods were being stolen by his office’s own staff./PN
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