By EUGENE ADIONG
BACOLOD City — Local government units should immediately deposit to the nearest banks amounts remitted to the local treasurer’s office.
Provincial Administrator Enrique Pinongan gave this advice following the robbery of P2 million worth of cash and checks from the vault of the City Treasurer’s Office in Escalante city hall.
“Based on existing regulations, the treasurer should deposit in banks the collections of the day,” Pinongan said.
Money stolen from the vault included amounts supposedly for scholarships and feeding programs.
A P600,000 check intended for the emergency cost of living allowance of public school teachers was also carted away.
Three of the six cash boxes contained in the vault were taken, while the other three were opened and left behind.
A police station is within the same compound as the city hall building, and security personnel were on duty when the robbery took place on Sunday.
Apparently, no one noticed the wrongdoing or any suspicious activity at the time.
Police and government officials suspect that the incident was an inside job.
Fingerprints of 11 city hall employees — seven from the Cashier’s Office, three watchmen, and a janitor — were taken by the provincial police.
Escalante City mayor Melecio Yap admitted that there were security lapses in the city hall.
He asked his constituents to help find information that could lead to the suspects’ arrest./PN
