The main suspect could be anywhere in the world by now.
Laoag City mayor Chevylle Fariñas has confirmed that more than PHP85 million in government funds deposited in several bank accounts have gone missing. This was discovered only after the city government adopted new guidelines on checking available funds of local government units.
Fariñas explained in Filipino, “The directive is not to rely sole on the entries made by the city treasurer. The bank must also check the veracity of the date on the time deposits.”
It was also discovered that the city treasurer, Elena Asuncion, had allegedly been falsifying papers and deposit slips. Asuncion, though, has not showed up forwork since Mon, Jun 13.
Naturally, Asuncion was relieved of her duties and responsibilities as city treasurer. With the discovery of discrepancies, she would most likely face multiple criminal and administrative charges. The Laoag City government then requested the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to include her in its watch list.
Unfortunately, BI information revealed that Asuncion left the country on Tue, Jun 14, onboard a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Hawaii. It’s possible that Asuncion moved on to another country with whom we don’t have an extradition agreement.
“Representatives from the Bureau of Local Governance Finance (BLGF) accompanied by Provincial Treasurer Josephine Calajate conducted meetings with concerned head of departments to further investigate the issues surrounding the missing funds. Four of the city’s bank accounts have yet to be checked. Meanwhile, seven employees of the cash division under the treasurer’s office were also reassigned,” reports Grace Alba on ABS-CBNnews.com.
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