BAGUIO CITY – The local government commended some eight officers and personnel of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) and Bautista Municipal Police Station for the successful arrest of a former employee of the City Treasury Office who went on hiding over seventeen years ago after failing to account over P2 million in public funds.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan personally handed over to the BCPO officers and personnel their respective commendation letters during the city’s regular flag-raising ceremony last Monday while the commendations of the officers and personnel of the Bautista Municipal Police Station in Pangasinan will be personally handed over to them by City Treasury Office personnel who will be going down to Bautista, Pangasinan to award the same in upcoming fitting ceremonies.
The BCPO officers and personnel who received their commendations from the local chief executive were Superintendent Johnson Smith Abellera, team leader and operatives sPO3 Jennifer Ganipac Sabiano, SPO1 Johndido Tac-ayan Dayagan, Jr. and SPO1 Anthony Diwayan Duday while elements of the Bautista Municipal Police Station in Pangasinan who will be conferred the same commendation in the coming weeks include Senior Inspector Rodelio Labiano, deputy chief of police, SPO2 Joselito Nabua, PO3 Louie Bautista and PO2 Arnel Agustin.
The police operatives personally served the warrant of arrest issued by the late Judge Antonio Esteves against Evelyn Gomez, former disbursing officer of the City Treasury Office, who went into hiding over 17 years ago when it was discovered that over P2 million in public funds in her custody can no longer be accounted for.
In 2017, officials of the local treasury office started receiving emailed messages on whether or not the local government is still interested to pursue the case it filed against the former disbursing officer on the alleged missing funds of the city.
The communication between personnel of the local government and the informant started to become frequent with the latter providing the needed information that the subject of the warrant of arrest came back from broad and is now in her residence in Bayambang, Pangasinan.
The CTO officers immediately coordinated with the BCPO for the arrest plan, in coordination with the elements of the Bautista Municipal Police Station in Pangasinan, which led them to successfully serve the warrant of arrest against the former disbursing officer for her to face the appropriate charges filed against her in the local court.
Mayor Domogan extended the local government’s greetings and congratulations to the elements of both the BCPO and the Bautista Municipal Police Station for their significant accomplishment in the successful arrest of the former disbursing officer of the city who allegedly malversed public funds in her custody over a decade ago.
He also expressed his gratitude to the informant for providing the personnel of the treasury office the vital information on the whereabouts of the said former local government employee that led to her arrest.
By Dexter A. See