Former bursar explains payroll scam in Mangaldan

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

SAN CARLOS CITY – A former government treasurer explained payroll padding, like the case in Mangaldan town, can exist if 50 personnel are hired by a local government unit but utilizes only 30 of them.

“The 20 personnel are on the payroll but somebody gets their salaries even they don’t render services,” this city former bursar Arturo Mandapat explained.

Mandapat said padding ensues when workers’ salaries were collected even they did not render a service.

He qualified however the involvement of a treasurer, saying  “If the treasurer is aware of the payroll padding, she is also liable.”

He said the treasurer should ask the department head of these personnel to certify that all of them received their salary so that investigators could pin point who would be liable.

In the town of Mangaldan, the budget officer Romeo G. Idia explained in a press conference how “smart alecks” altered the payroll’s figure submitted to him by the accounting office. He said someone erased the amount of P1, 400 and changed the figure “1” to “3”, and the “4” to “9” by making them appear as P39, 000 or an excess of P25, 000 from the original P1,400.

As a result Mangaldan Mayor Herminio Romero filed an administrative case againt the treasurer, assistant treasurer, budget officer, and the head of personnel at the Civil Service Commission in La Union.

Romero said he was waiting for the recommendation of the CSC as his basis for filing a criminal case against these officials at the Ombudsman.

Aside from the P8 million payroll scam in Mangaldan, the special investigation of Commission of Audit from San Carlos City, uncovered another P1.7937 malversation of petty cash.

Mandapat explained however that the liability of the treasurer in the case at Mangaldan is slim because her job to sign the vouchers is only ministerial.

He said the same situation can be said with the mayor who signed the voucher with finality.