BACOLOD City – The City Legal Office (CLO) will issue a show-cause order against an employee at the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) for allegedly falsifying an official receipt.
City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting Jr. said a notice to explain has already been served by City Treasurer Arlene Memoria to the employee whose name was withheld for confidentiality. The employee was given 72 hours to reply to the notice.
Ting said the employee was allegedly involved in the tampering of the official receipt of the city government after receiving payment from a traffic violator.
Jose Antonio Robello, deputy officer-in-charge of the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), said a complainant coursed his concern about this to the city government’s program “Isugid Mo Kay Mayor.”
Robello said the complainant was apprehended by BTAO on April 18 for not wearing a helmet and not having a driver’s license. His motorcycle was also towed by the BTAO personnel.
Ting said based on their initial investigation, the employee received a payment of P1,300 from the complainant, but the amount indicated in the official receipt was allegedly P300 only.
The employee could face administrative charge for gross misconduct and criminal rap for falsification of official receipt, said Ting.
For his part, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said, “We have a system in place, he or she will have to face the consequences.”
“I don’t have to repeat myself. Daw gusto gid nila may ma-sampolan and we will continue doing this. I appreciate labi na gid ang nagasugid sa akon kay this fight against corruption na limpyohon naton ang aton gobyerno, indi lang akon responsibilidad but aton tanan,” the city mayor added.
Following the controversy, Tinga said the CLO will conduct an inventory of all issued official receipts pertaining to the collection of BTAO./PN
