Samar mayor, 2 other face raps over failure to remit GSIS premiums

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman has found sufficient grounds to indict local executives of a town in Samar for failure to remit on time the mandatory monthly Government Service Insurance System premiums from 2008 to 2012.

In a 14-page resolution signed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, government prosecutors found sufficient evidence to indict San Sebastian, Samar Mayor Arnold Abalos, municipal treasurer Virginia Uy, and municipal accountant Pepita Mabini, of 40 counts of violation of Republic Act 8291 or The Government Service Insurance System Act of 1997.

The Ombudsman also found that the Municipality of San Sebastian is saddled by delayed and unremitted GSIS premiums for 40 months.

Based on the Statement of Account issued on May 31, 2012 by GSIS, the municipality did not remit the GSIS premiums covering the months of April 2008 to December 2009, May to September 2010, February to July 2011, September to December 2011, and January to April 2012 corresponding to arrears of over P6.7 million.

The GSIS Collection Notice dated Aug. 17, 2012 indicate that San Sebastian has outstanding payables amounting to P7.6 million.

The Ombudsman said that the respondents committed repeated failures to timely remit the GSIS remittances when they were due and demandable.

The law provides that penal sanctions shall be imposed upon employers who fail to include the payment of contributions in their annual appropriations or otherwise fail to remit or delay the exact amount of monthly contributions.

However, the Ombudsman dismissed the malversation of public fund charge for insufficiency of evidence.

The complaint against municipal revenue collection clerk/liaison officer Jesielz Babon was also dismissed for lack of probable cause.