A dismissed barangay treasurer of Poblacion II in Tagbilaran City earned brunt for lying as to the whereabouts of the missing funds entrusted to him during his service.
The dismissed treasurer, Edgardo Uguis, had been going around the barangay in the past week to claim that the loss of the P23,000 of the around P100,000 cash intended for the barangay volleyball tournament that was entrusted to him was without his fault.
He claimed it was stolen.
However, this was contrary to the investigation result on the matter.
Uguis was removed as barangay treasurer of Poblacion II as it had been found that he was solely liable for the loss of the P23,000 and he lied in his claim that it was stolen.
First, he was the only one who had the key to where he placed the money and only he knew where the money was exactly placed.
Also, only Uguis knew at that time that he just put the money in a sling bag.
Moreover, no other person got inside the barangay hall at the time he claimed the money was lost.
Only Uguis had the access to his area of work at the time the money was allegedly lost.
He also delayed the reporting of the loss which invited doubt on his claim.
Also, during a session of the barangay council when he was called to explain his side, he himself admitted that he lied as to the real reason he had to enter the barangay hall on a Saturday morning, December 16, or two days before the money was reported lost.
The day prior, December 15, a Friday, he was the last person to leave the barangay hall.
He said during the barangay session on December 20 that he told the barangay secretary that morning on December 16 that he would be doing overtime work so he would borrow the key to the main door and that his real intention was not to do overtime work but to get his medicine for asthma that he had left inside.
He did not elaborate during the session why he lied as to the reason why he had to enter the barangay hall that morning.
No one had also seen him bringing any medicine that Friday and that he had not left the office to buy the medicine.
After he had left the barangay hall that Saturday morning, no one entered the barangay hall.
On the following day, Sunday, no one also entered the barangay hall. By Monday, when the money was allegedly lost, he was the first person who reached where he placed the money and the only person who touched the container of the money.
He claimed that he already noticed something unusual as he saw the container of the money, but no one in the barangay hall saw him surprised at that time.
In fact, it was only when everyone had left that Monday night that he told the barangay captain, which invited doubt that he intended it so that the barangay captain could no longer investigate it right then.
It was also that night that he had it placed in the police blotter which invited doubt that he intended it so that the police could no longer reach out to anyone to investigate it right then as all the people in the barangay hall had already left.
When asked by the kagawads if he had outstanding balance in lending companies, he said he had none, but it was learned that he had obligations to pay at a lending company. He did not explain why he lied.
Moreover, if it was stolen it was odd that only P5,000 was taken from the thick bundle of money and P18,000 was taken from the unbundled bills which was of smaller amount.
If indeed it was perpetrated by a person other than Uguis, such other person should have been haste and had preferred to take away all the cash in there.
Also, it was found odd that the money in the collection box just in the same area where Uguis placed the money was not touched.
If indeed it was perpetrated by a person who was not as familiar with such money as Uguis, the perpetrator should have taken all the money, including the collection box.