CEBU, Philippines – For the second time this year the municipal treasurer’s office in Sibulan was ransacked by still unidentified persons who carted away with P166,848.53 in cash.
The burglary was discovered early morning yesterday by personnel of the treasurer’s office who reported the matter immediately to the police station.
Initial investigations disclosed that the cabinets were forcibly opened and traces of fingerprints were being processed by the Scene of the Crime Operation personnel, while the lost money was then inventoried.
The first burglary was done last May 9 and was discovered by treasurer’s office employees who reported for overtime work that Saturday. Almost P200,000 was carted away by the suspects, but when inventoried, only more than P35,000 belong to the municipal coffers.
Mayor Emmanuel Diputado said the first burglary was solved with the identification and the filing of robbery charges against the suspect who was an ambulance driver of the municipality. The suspect is now in jail for another crime after he was apprehended through a buy-bust operation for allegedly selling shabu.
For this second burglary, Diputado said he would not meddle in the investigation to give the police a free hand in probing why there was no forcible entry and that everybody in the treasurer’s office were considered suspects.
The mayor said the local government had plans of acquiring closed circuit television cameras to be installed in strategic areas around the municipality. (FREEMAN)