Naga City employee nabbed for ‘stealing’ P12M in gov’t collections

Naga City Baywalk. | File photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 44-year-old liquidating officer of Naga City, Cebu was arrested by the police on Monday, February 19, for allegedly stealing City Hall collections that accumulated to a total of P12 million.

The arrested employee was identified as Jesette Kristy Villarta Rivera, a resident of Barangay North Poblacion.

City Treasurer Anna Maria Gabilan was the one who reported Rivera’s alleged crime and sought police assistance which led to her arrest on Monday.

Rivera begged off from issuing any statements when sought for comment.

According to the outcome of the investigation by the Naga City police, Rivera was tasked to receive the daily collections from the city’s collectors and deposit the money to the city’s depository banks.

However, Rivera allegedly kept part of the collection.  The missing cash was noted in the annual audit reports submitted by the Commission on Audit (COA).

According to the police, Rivera has been stealing from the city government since 2022.

Her abundance is cash was also noticed by her colleagues because of a sudden change in her lifestyle.

Rivera, according to the Naga City police, has taken various trips abroad since 2022.

In an interview with DYSS Super Radyo, Mayor Valdemar Chiong said that he felt disappointed about the incident and alarmed by the unauthorized use of government funds.

Chiong said he will entrust to COA the filing of appropriate charges against Rivera and the production of documents to support said case.

Moreover, Chiong assured Naga City residents that City Hall operations will not be affected by the recent arrest of Rivera.

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