Tax collectors in fund theft sacked, charged
KIDAPAWAN CITY—M’lang, North Cotabato Mayor Joselito Piñol on Wednesday said he has fired three town employees, who had pocketed local tax collections worth more than P2 million.
He said Ramundo Papna, Mark Diel and Julius Magallosa, all tax collectors of the town treasurer’s office, had admitted to pocketing the funds “for personal use.”
Piñol said when the disappearance of the cash collections was discovered, he had ordered the preventive suspension of the three employees in October.
An investigation and an audit was also conducted.
Piñol said the investigating body he had formed found out Papna, Diel and Magallosa did not remit to the town treasurer’s office their collections for the year.
Papna was able to pocket P1.2 million in taxes; Diel, P752,000 and Magallosa, P140,000.
Diel and Magallosa returned part of the money, “explaining that they used the amount for medical needs of relatives and other emergency purposes,” said the mayor.
But Piñol said no matter “how valid their reasons are, still they were not enough to justify their acts.”
As to Papna, Piñol said the dismissed tax collector has already disappeared from the town and the order to fire him was sent by registered mail to his last known address. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao
