2 more cash collectors 'pocketed' public fund

Two more employees assigned at the Mandaue City Treasurer's Office are facing investigation for allegedly tampering with cash collections.

- Kristin de Dios/FPL

Mandaue City Administrator Atty. Gonzalo Malig-on Jr. revealed yesterday, October 16, that aside from the cash clerk who was dismissed from service for allegedly misappropriating over P3 million in city funds, two other sub-collectors from the same office are now under investigation for similar offenses.

According to Malig-on, one of the employees was caught tampering with official receipts, while the other was reportedly pocketing cash. CCTV footage, he said, showed one employee pocketing P10,000 while another tampered with receipts. An estimated P250,000 was reportedly not remitted.

He added that the case is still under investigation and no further details can be released for now.

"The investigation on the two employees is ongoing. It's not the same scheme, but both cases involve city funds," Malig-on said.

He added that both suspects are Job Order employees—raising questions about how they were able to handle or receive cash collections in the first place. Under the law, only bonded employees are allowed to handle or receive cash collections.

Malig-on said the city government is not only looking into the actions of the employees involved but is also conducting a thorough review of the system to determine how and when these irregularities began.