Iloilo mayor charged for failing to remit GSIS, Pag-IBIG contributions

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA — State prosecutors have formally charged San Enrique, Iloilo Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez at the Sandiganbayan for allegedly failing to remit P5.96-million in employee contributions to the social insurance institutions on time.

Fernandez and municipal treasurer Imelda Celebrar stand trial for 16 counts of violating Section 52 (g) of the Government Service Insurance System Act of 1997 and 11 counts of violating Section 3 (a), Rule VII in relation to Section 1, Rule XII of the implementing rules and regulations of the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009.

The Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor accused Fernandez and Celebrar of failing to remit a total of P5.34 million to the GSIS “within 30 days from the time they became due and demandable.”

GSIS contributions that were not paid right away covered the months of January to October 2011, April 2012, and June to October 2012.

Likewise, the two officials also failed to remit on time a total of P620,000 to the HDMF, more popularly known as Pag-IBIG. As is the case with the GSIS, the contributions should have been remitted “within 30 days from the time they became due and demandable.”

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Pag-IBIG contributions were for the periods of January, February, April, October and December 2011, and January, February, August, September, October and December 2012.

The prosecutors recommended that bail be set at P10,000 for each count of violating the GSIS Act and P12,000 for each count of violating the HDMF Law’s IRR, or a total of P292,000 each for all 27 cases.  SFM