CEBU, Philippines – As the City Legal Office formally served the 30 days preventive suspension to Cebu City Medical Center credit officer Lourdes Archua because of the 28 lost checks from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, her lawyer yesterday claimed that it was not her client but a collector from the City Treasurer’s Office was responsible.
Lawyer Gloria Lastimosa Dalawampu, Archua’s legal counsel, yesterday said it was not her client but Mary Grace Lopez, a collector of the CTO detailed at the CCMC, was responsible for turning over the checks to a certain Concha Ruth Adlawan.
Dalawampu said the documents will prove that her client was not responsible for the lost of the checks.
Dalawampu explained that her client only assumed the responsibility because she was the head of the billing and collection unit where Lopez holds office.
She admitted that she released the checks in her reply to the letter of CCMC director Myrna Go who asked her to explain the lost of 28 checks worth P240,000.
“She (Archua) said that she was the one who personally released the check because she feels that it is her command responsibility. But the person who is in-charged of all Philhealth transactions is not my client. She does not know anything about it. Si Lopez ra ang nakahibaw ana, dili ba dapat ni apilon og imbestigar?” Dalawampu said.
Lopez however is on leave since June 14.
She was detailed at the CCMC through a memorandum order dated March 28, 2005 issued by then OIC Tessie Camarillo.
Dalawampu said that Lopez is not even under the billing and collection unit headed by Archua. The memorandum designated Lopez at the Administrative Office or at the office of the chief of hospital.
Yesterday morning, a representative from the office of the Mayor formally served the suspension order to Archua.
Archua will be prevented from performing her functions for 30 days while the investigation is in progress.
The order was served pursuant to the formal charge filed against her for gross neglect of duty.
In a resolution, Atty. Marie Velle Abella ruled that Archua is liable for neglect of duty as she failed to perform the act inherent to her appointed position.
“The manner in getting the checks was palpably irregular and dubious but she gave the check without any precautionary measures taken. Respondent knows for a fact that only the chief of Hospital can release the checks through formal endorsement to the City Treasurer’s Office,” Abella said.
But Dalawampu insisted that Archua did not release the check and it is unfair for her client to be the only one suspended.
“Dili man ta ka-prevent kung mu-impose og preventive suspension but in our part unfair nga ari lang kang Mrs. Archua while in fact there is another person in-charge sa tanang Philhealth checks,” Dalawampu said.
She said she will request the City Attorney to expand their investigation by including Lopez as one of the respondents.
She also wants Go to explain why she took all the documents showing all Philhealth transactions from the desk of Lopez without the latter’s consent.
“According to my client, Dr. Go took all the documents from Lopez’ desk. Wala man mabuhat akong client ana kay di man under niya si Lopez. Dr. Go knows that Lopez is the one in-charge of all these. Why didn’t she tell this to the investigators and what are these documents she took? Lopez must be asked to make an inventory of all the documents that Dr. Go took from her,” Dalawampu said.
Dalawampu also got irked by the pronouncement of City Attorney Joseph Bernaldez, who said that the City Hall employee, who rediscounted six of the stolen checks and deposited it his account, will stand as a vital witness.
“Why do they have to consider him the vital witness? Isn’t he in the possession of the stolen checks? And being a City Hall employee, he knows very well that the check is in the name of CCMC, which means that it is a government fund. Kanus-a pa man diay napurdoy ang CCMC nga kinahanglan na magpa-rediscount og cheke?” she asked.
Bernaldez said that the employee was the victim of the crime. “Kay siya man hinuon ang naalkansi. He paid Adlawan an amount of P84,000 for the checks that were not deposited in his bank,” Bernaldez said.
Dalawampu said that this case will reveal all the anomalous transactions happening inside the CCMC. She said that she found a lot of flaws in the systems which “opened the way to fraud.”
In 2008, Archua caught one incident where the amount of the check in the transmittal was indicated as P52,290 but the Official Receipt issued by the cashier only indicated the amount P32,000.
The cashier is from the CTO. Because Archua complained about it, the cashier made the necessary correction.
City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva said that she tasked Camarillo to also make a study on all the deposited and endorsed checks in their office following the incident on the lost checks.
For the meantime, Ranulfa Alia, next in rank of Archua, will take over as the head of the billing section.
CCMC also implemented new procedures on receiving the checks. All checks from Philhealth now do not reach the billing section but stays at the Admin before it is brought to the cashier. — Jessica Ann R. Pareja and Karen Joy S. Vicentillo, PIT intern/FPL (THE FREEMAN)