Palawan execs assail loss of P1M in CCT funds

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY—The Philippine Postal Office (PhilPost) has come under fire from the provincial government for losing, under mysterious circumstances, close to P1 million in cash while it was being delivered to beneficiaries of the government’s conditional cash transfer program.

In two separate incidents, PhilPost personnel have reported losing P200,000 and P750,000 in cash while these were being transported from Puerto Princesa City to the remote island municipality of Dumaran in northern Palawan, where the funds were to be distributed to individual family beneficiaries.

In both instances, which occurred in February and on June 12 this year, PhilPost merely replaced the lost funds and announced that it was conducting an internal investigation.

The Philippine National Police said that based on its investigation of the two incidents, the money disappeared when PhilPost personnel arrived in Dumaran in a boat for the distribution of the funds.

The provincial board, which summoned on Tuesday police investigators and PhilPost officials, has expressed concern that no administrative or criminal charges have been filed against PhilPost personnel and officials responsible for the loss of the funds.

Answering queries from provincial legislators, local PhilPost head Marvin Cadlaon said local PhilPost officials have allowed higher officials of the state firm to handle the case.

Cadlaon admitted, however, that indeed no charges have been filed against any of the PhilPost personnel involved in the disappearance of the funds.

“It’s still under investigation by the Manila office,” he said.

Board Member Winston Arzaga, who initiated the inquiry on the matter, said he would ask the Department of Social Welfare and Development to stop using the Palawan PhilPost as a conduit for transferring the funds to beneficiaries.

“The government is the one paying for those lost funds and it seems the PhilPost is not doing anything to get to the bottom of this,” he said.

Supt. Atanacio Macalan, Palawan police director, said police have recommended the filing of administrative and criminal cases against two PhilPost employees.

Macalan said police could not file a case directly against the PhilPost employees upon the advice of the provincial prosecutor’s office.

The provincial prosecutor, however, denied this. “We never received any complaint from the PNP,” said Allen Ross Rodriguez, provincial prosecutor. “We only heard about this case from media,” Rodriguez said.