Ex-market worker gets 26 years for graft

MANILA, Philippines - A former employee of a public market in Manila was sentenced to serve 26 years in prison for incurring a shortage of P172,570 in slaughter fee collections, the Office of the Ombudsman said yesterday.

Vilma Ibay, who works for the Blumentritt public market veterinary inspection board, was convicted by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 22 of malversation of public funds and graft.

Ibay was ordered to serve 10 to 18 years for malversation and eight years for graft. She was also ordered to pay back the cash shortage and was perpetually barred from government service.

The Commission on Audit reported that from November 2000 to June 2001, Ibay’s total collections should have been P929,916.70 but she only remitted P757,346.70.

Under the Revised Penal Code, her failure to account for public funds that came into her possession by reason of her official duties is prima facie evidence that she put the missing funds to her personal use. – Michael Punongbayan, Rey Galupo