P1.6 M disappears from Cebu sports center vault

CEBU CITY, Philippines—More than P1.6 million in cash was lost from the vault inside the Cebu City Sports Center office a few hours after the holding of Sinulog annual grand parade that ended around 8 p.m. Monday.

The police pointed to security guard Jose Lyndon Habagat of the GDS Security Agency as a suspect in the theft, according to Senior Supt. Ramon Melvin Buenafe, Cebu City police office director.

Habagat, who had been assigned to guard the CCSC office, has been placed under the custody of the Cebu City police theft and robbery section, Buenafe said.

The missing funds include an P880,000 refund from the city government to the Sinulog Foundation Inc. for the subsidy given to the out-of-town contingents and P750,000 cash left by Victor Cuenco, the choreographer of the Sinulog-based champion Culturang Placereño of Placer, Masbate.

Also reported missing was P8,000 in cash representing ticket sales of the Sinulog grand parade; P10,000 petty cash of the CCSC; P11,000 collection of the Mass last Sunday, which was intended for Sendong victims; P7,000 bonus of CCSC administrative officer Helen Talisik; a Sony Camera worth P9,000 owned by the sports center cashier Anjie Villarojo; US$30 and HK$3.

Ballesteros said the P880,000 cash was not deposited in the bank because it arrived at the office at 5 p.m on Friday, and so they decided to keep it in the vault in the sports center office.

On the other hand, SFI executive director Ricky Ballesteros said the SFI issued a check to Cuenco for his choreographers fee and the honoraria of the performers and the production staff of the Culturang Placereño of Placer, Masbate. Cuenco had encashed the check but he decided to deposit the money at the CCSC vault for safekeeping.

Buenafe and Ballesteros said the security guard was not consistent in his statements.

Ballesteros said Habagat, who served as guard for 15 years at the sports center, was the one in charge of the key to the office where the vault was located.

There were no signs of forced entry  into the office and a utility worker told the police the office was open when he arrived.

The utility worker who started to clean up the office discovered that the vault was open.