Ombud sacks market collector for stealing P2.3M

A FORMER market collector in Talisay City was found guilty of serious dishonesty for falsifying 620 official receipts of stall rentals and the malversation of over P2.3 million in government funds.

Libertad Juban was ordered dismissed from service with the accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from reemployment in government service.
Juban, however, resigned in 2009 so the Ombudsman-Visayas converted the sanction into a fine in the amount equivalent to her salary for one year. She will also be facing criminal charges in court.

“An evaluation of the records of the case readily shows that there exists substantial evidence against the respondent. She took advantage of her official position in falsifying the documents,” graft investigation and prosecution officer Marie Fe Frances Seville-Ang stated in her decision.

Based on the investigation conducted by the anti-graft office, Ang said Juban committed the dishonest act several times, causing serious damage and grave prejudice to the government.

In 2009, Melba Macapobre, audit team leader of Talisay City, requested the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a fraud audit on the transactions in the public market.

In an inquiry done by state auditors, they found that several official receipts (O.R.) under the accountability of Juban were falsified. The inquiry covered the collections of stall rentals in 2007, 2008, and the first quarter of 2009.

COA said Juban concealed the unaccounted and unremitted collections by making it appear in the duplicate copies of the ORs that the amounts paid were less than the actual amount she received from the payors. As a consequence, collections amounting to P2,266,392.76 were not remitted to the Talisay City’s treasury.
The Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Office (PACPO) of the anti-graft office said Juban mishandled the collections as shown in the tampered receipts.