Mandaluyong worker nabbed for stealing P15 million

MANILA, Philippines - Police arrested Thursday the chief of staff of a city councilor for allegedly pocketing more than P15 million from the coffers of Barangay Pleasant Hills, Mandaluyong City.

Mandaluyong City police chief Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun said suspect Jimmy Cayubit was already at a bus terminal in Quezon City when officials of Barangay Pleasant Hills convinced him to surrender.

“He was on his way to Tacloban City after sensing that barangay officials got wind of the crime. After several minutes of conversation he finally decided to return to the city and answer for his crime,” De Sagun said.

Cayubit is the chief of staff of Councilor Marc Renniel Evangelista.

De Sagun identified Cayubit’s alleged cohorts as Ivy Paguinsan, the real barangay treasurer and live-in partner of Cayubit; Romy Lim, the barangay bookkeeper; Lito Guismundo, an employee of the City Treasurer’s Office; Lea Manalo, of the budget department; Danny Capule, of the local Commission on Audit and an unidentified suspect. They are now the subjects of a police manhunt.

Reports reaching De Sagun showed that Paguinsan was the authorized barangay treasurer but Cayubit was the one handling all the transactions.

Initial investigation showed that Cayubit was able to pocket the barangay funds with the help of his six other cohorts, who work in various units of the city government.

De Sagun said the suspects forged transactions from January 2004 to Sept. 21, 2009 allowing them to divert P15 million worth of barangay funds into their own bank accounts.

The six suspects and two unidentified cohorts have the authority to sign checks for the bogus transactions, he added.

According to De Sagun, Cayubit verbally admitted his crime but refused to put his admission in writing.

The suspects are facing charges of malversation of public funds, qualified theft, falsification of commercial documents and forgery.