Ex-City Hall employee charged for falsification

CEBU, Philippines - A former Cebu City Hall employee was indicted for 14 counts of falsification of public documents after he was caught falsifying tax documents two years ago.

The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas found probable cause to file the criminal charges in court against Sandre Agravante Po.

The resolution prepared by the anti-graft office recommending for Po’s indictment before the Regional Trial Court in Cebu City was approved by Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

The anti-graft office through graft investigator Jane Aguilar found sufficient evidence to hold Po for trial because of his possession of 14 falsified documents during his arrest on May 31, 2007.

Elements of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested Po during an entrapment operation for manufacturing and selling fake documents. A subsequent raid was conducted on his residence in barangay Sambag I based on a search warrant issued by then RTC Executive Judge Fortunato de Gracia.

The raid resulted in the confiscation of 14 faked tax declarations, tax clearances and official receipts. Other forms such as certificates authorizing registration, transfer certificates of title were also recovered from Po’s house.

Acting Cebu City Assessor Eustaquio Cesa certified that the public documents seized from Po were faked.

Po denied that the fake documents were recovered by the NBI from his residence, claiming that the raid was illegal and that the pieces of evidence recovered were inadmissible as evidence.

But the Ombudsman said the denial of the accused cannot prevail over the positive declarations of the complainant.

Besides, the anti-graft office said the NBI operatives enjoyed the presumption of regularity in the conduct of the raid. — Fred P. Languido/LPM (THE FREEMAN)