3 Cotabato town tax collectors face dismissal

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - – An interim investigating team has recommended the dishonorable discharge of three senior municipal tax collectors in Mlang town this province for allegedly embezzling some P2 million in collections.

Mlang Mayor Joselito Piñol told The STAR he is now reviewing the recommendation of the team that looked into the alleged non-remittance of collections by Raymundo Papna, Marco Diel and Julius Magallosa, who have all been suspended without pay. 

Piñol said he suspended the three tax collectors last October immediately after state auditors found out that they could not account for huge amounts of money collected from the market and business establishments.

Papna, Diel, and Magallosa allegedly failed to remit to the municipal treasurer P1.2 million, P752,000, and P140,000 in collections, respectively.

The special team, formed by the municipal government to study the findings of the Commission on Audit and determine the extent of culpability of each of the three collectors, said they can all be discharged from the service for pocketing taxes paid to the town.

The municipal treasurer earlier had filed graft charges against Papna, Diel and Magallosa before the Ombudsman for Mindanao in Davao City. 

Piñol said two of the three collectors have offered to return the municipal revenues they have pocketed. 

“Even then, they will still be prosecuted,” he said.