• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Bacolod Mayor Greg Gasataya has placed a fiscal examiner officer I under the Licensing Division of the Bacolod City Treasurer’s Office, on a 60-day preventive suspension without pay, City Legal Office head, Atty. Karol Joseph Chiu, said Oct. 5.
The disciplinary action, which took effect Oct. 1, follows administrative charges for serious dishonesty, grave misconduct, gross neglect in the performance of duty, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
Chiu said that based on an investigation, the employee personally collected amusement taxes amounting to P8,000 from several private establishments without issuing contemporaneous official receipts.
In one instance involving a club, the employee received P3,500 but submitted documentation reflecting a remittance of only P1,100, leaving an unexplained discrepancy of P2,400.
“In his response to the show-cause order, he (employee) said he forgot to issue receipts but the brown envelope is still on his table,” Chiu said.
Verification confirmed that P4,500 in collections with official receipts remained unremitted, as of Aug. 12.
“He was unauthorized to handle that arrangement (of) going to bars collecting percentage taxes,” Chiu added.
Under the 2025 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, the employee has been given 10 days from receipt of the suspension order to submit a written answer under oath. | TMD
