AN UNDATED photo of Laoag City treasurer Elena Asuncion, who has gone missing just as city officials discovered that
at least P90 million in funds had disappeared from the city coffers. PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
LAOAG CITY—A team from the national government and the provincial treasurer’s office took over the office of the Laoag City treasurer this week following the loss of up to P90 million in city funds and the disappearance of the city treasurer.
Laoag treasurer Elena Asuncion left the country on June 14 on board a Philippine Airlines plane bound for Hawaii, according to the Bureau of Immigration office at the Laoag International Airport. Her whereabouts were traced through her phone calls from Colorado, the Inquirer learned.
Asuncion was last seen attending the June 12 Independence Day celebration here, but she reportedly left before Laoag City Mayor Chevylle Fariñas could serve her a relief order over the discrepancies uncovered in the city government accounts.
A city employee saw Asuncion carrying two boxes as she left the City Hall through the back door of the treasurer’s office.
“At the request of Mayor Fariñas, we coordinated with the authorities and traced Asuncion’s mobile telephone within the vicinity of Colorado,” Supt. Edwin Balles, Laoag police chief, said on Friday.
The city accounting office discovered the irregularities as early as May when it found that some checks made out to the Laoag government were not deposited.
Fariñas had sealed the treasurer’s office to preserve evidence.
The Bureau of Local Government Finance, the Commission on Audit and the Ilocos Norte treasury had shut down operations of the city treasury to allow them to examine Asuncion’s transactions, said Laoag City administrator Cipriano Hilarion Martinez.
“For the moment, that office would not be allowed to receive payments or remittances,” Martinez said, adding that some employees might be asked to help inventory all of the city’s financial documents. Leilanie Adriano, Inquirer Northern Luzon