Parañaque treasurer dismissed for graft

The Office of the Ombudsman dismissed from government service the city treasurer of Parañaque City for amassing ill-gotten wealth.

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez ordered the dismissal of Liberato Carabeo, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Parañaque City Treasurer’s Office, for "dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service."

Gutierrez also barred Carabeo from holding public office, and ordered that he be charged before the Sandiganbayan for violating the anti-graft law, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, and for falsifying of public documents.

In a statement, the Ombudsman said the case stemmed from a complaint filed by the Department of Finance-Revenue Integrity Protection Service against Carabeo for allegedly accumulating wealth disproportionate to his income.

Records showed that Carabeo started his career in public service when he was appointed to the post of casual laborer at the Parañaque City Treasurer’s Office and paid P17 a day in 1981 until he was designated as OIC, for which he received an annual gross salary of P291,036.

Probers found that based on his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN), Carabeo’s net worth increased from P115,975 in 1981 to P7,498,808 in 2004.

During the last nine years, he also acquired two residential lots in Tagaytay City, a townhouse in Cavite and three separate parcels of land in Laguna.

Carabeo and his wife were also found to own a Model 2000 Ford F-150 Flareside; one Model 1998 Mazda Familia; one Model 2001 Chevrolet Cassia; one Model 2000 Honda CRV; one Model 2000 Honda City; and one Model 2001 Nissan Sentra.

The Ombudsman has ordered forfeiture proceedings to be initiated after the May 14 elections.

The DOF-RIPS also found that Carabeo and his wife bought in 2004 a club share at the Palms Country Club in Ayala Alabang worth P640,000. They said the shares can only be purchased on a cash basis.

Records from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) disclosed that from 1996 to 2004, Carabeo went abroad "at least 15 times without securing the corresponding authority from the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) as required under Executive Order No. 6 dated March 12, 1986." – Sandy Araneta