Roderick Paulate charged over ghost employees

MANILA, Philippines — Actor and Quezon City Councilor Roderick Paulate has been charged before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly hiring ghost employees in 2010.

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman on April 20, Paulate was charged with one count of violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and nine counts of falsification under the Revised Penal Code.

His driver and liaison officer Vicente Bajamunde was also named respondent.

Based on the charge sheet prepared by graft investigation and prosecution officer Michelle Villabesa, Paulate allegedly conspired with Bajamunde in defrauding the government of P1.109 million by hiring 30 fictitious job contractors from July to November 2010.

The ombudsman said Paulate falsified the employees’ job orders, including their signatures to oblige the city government to allocate funds for their salaries.

Paulate and Bajamunde allegedly prepared bogus personal data sheets of the non-existent contractors as supporting documents, according to the ombudsman.

The respondents allegedly falsified eight payrolls certifying that the contractors each rendered 40 hours of service per week. 

Because of the fake payrolls, Paulate, through Bajamunde, was able to collect from the city treasurer’s office P1.109 million representing the contractors’ salaries from July 1 to Nov. 15, 2010.

The ombudsman said the fund was released to Bajamunde by virtue of an authorization letter signed by Paulate.

Bajamunde and Paulate allegedly affixed in the payrolls the signatures of the ghost employees to make it appear that they have received their salaries.

The ombudsman recommended bail of P246,000 and P222,000 for Paulate and Bajamunde, respectively.

In January 2016, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered Paulate’s dismissal from public service for administrative offenses of serious dishonesty and grave misconduct over the alleged hiring of ghost employees. 

But the Court of Appeals granted Paulate’s petition for review and overturned the ombudsman’s ruling in December 2016.