NBI to Investigate Toledo Heist

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been requested by Toledo City Mayor John Henry Osmeña to conduct a separate investigation into the robbery at the Toledo City Treasurer’s Office because of strong belief that some personnel are involved in the case.

Even Cebu City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva believed that it is not impossible that some personnel of her personnel might be involved in the robbery because there were indications that the robbers are familiar of where the money was kept.

“Kon outsider pa ang mga nangawat gisulod unta nila ang akong opisina kay magtuo man g’yud nga tua ang kuwarta sa opisina sa treasurer, pero nakatultol man ang mga kawatan sa nahimutangan sa vault nga tua sa pikas building,” Oliva said.

The city treasurer had already asked NBI senior supervising agent Renan Oliva that the mayor wants them to assist the police in the investigation of the case and file charges against the suspects.

According to Oliva there were no signs of forcible entry into the treasurer’s office, which means that the robbers might have a duplicate key of the entrance door. Although there were signs that the iron grills at the place of where the vault was placed were disturb but Oliva did not discount the possibility that it was just a mere drama.

Oliva personally went to Toledo City Treasurer’s Office when she was informed about the robbery on Sunday night.

“Mora ba og gipukpok lang og gamay ang puthaw aron ingnon nga duna g’yuy robbery,” Oliva said.

The police had already started its investigation and some personnel of the city treasurer’s office has been subjected to fingerprinting.

The Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) also retrieved some fingerprint latents from the crime scene to compare them to the samples taken from the fingerprints of the employees.

When asked of why the mayor requested the NBI’s help when the police had already started the investigation, Oliva explained “Two heads are better than one.”

Oliva also announced that some of the tax collectors in Toledo City had not complied with the proper guidelines mandated by the Government Accounting and Auditing Manual (GAAM), particularly the failure of the tax collectors to remit on time their daily collections to the cashiers.

When Oliva assumed as treasurer of Toledo City last year, she immediately issued memorandums to her personnel reminding them of the state audit procedures, but still they failed.

For one instance, Oliva had found out that one of her tax collectors failed to remit to the cashier her collections from January to May. The concerned employee just claimed that she just placed the money in her vault.

Oliva even scolded the tax collector. “Uy, nganong naa ra man sa vault? Why did you not surrender it to the cashier? Sa ato pa, there is a possibility nga nagamit ang kuwarta,” she said.

She said she will recommend to the mayor for the imposition of appropriate penalties for those who did not comply with the state audit procedures.

As of yesterday, Oliva still refused to say the amount carted by the robbers.

“Hasta ang payrol sa mga teachers nga hataganan sa honorarium gidala sa mga kawatan,” Oliva said.

Sources said the disbursing officers had just withdrew P3 million for the honorariums of teachers, and another P3 million for the salaries of the Job Order workers.