Ombudsman indicts 2 ex-Bohol town execs

Office of the Ombudsman / Wikipedia Photo

MANILA — Two former municipal officials of San Miguel, Bohol were charged with malversation of public funds.

In an 11-page resolution signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, charges for six counts of malversation were filed against former Mayor Silvino Evangelista before the Sandiganbayan while eight counts of malversation were filed against former Municipal Treasurer Trinidad Millare before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Bohol.

The Ombudsman found that from September 1998 to June 2000, six checks in the total amount of P553,148 were issued by the Bohol local government unit without proper documentation and disbursement vouchers.

Morales said that “for his (Evangelista) gross negligence to exercise the due diligence of a good father of a family over the subject funds by not allowing Millare to misappropriate and misuse the same, he is liable for malversation.”

“As an accountable officer, it was Evangelista’s duty to exercise proper management over the officers of the municipality,” the Ombudsman resolution said.

It also ruled that Millare failed to account for P553,148 of local government funds as established by the audit examination conducted by the Commission on Audit (COA).

During preliminary investigation, Millare admitted that prior to her retirement, she incurred monetary obligations in her capacity as Municipal Treasurer and executed an undertaking to pay within six months.

However, only a partial payment of P6,148 was made.

The complaint against co-respondent Segundino Hencianos was dismissed on account of his death in 2008.