The acting municipal treasurer of Isabela has been told by the Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator's Office to explain the allegedly lost P6.4 million and other irregularities during her term of duty.
A copy of the show cause order issued by Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II has been received by Nenette Estrada, who served as Cashier I at the Provincial Treasurer's Office.
In the memorandum order, Diaz said that Escarda is required to explain in writing, comment, or submit an affidavit under oath within five days from receipt hereof why no criminal, civil, or administrative cases should be filed against her.
According to the directive, Escarda took municipal funds worth PHP2.6 million in cash and PHP3.8 million in checks from their usual safekeeping location at the Municipal Treasurer's Office "without authority from the municipal mayor or the national government" and lost these funds "while in (her) unauthorized possession" sometime last month.
According to the blotter report from Bacolod City Police Station 6, Escarda, who lives in this city's Las Palmas Subdivision, reported the robbery incident at her house on Jan. 21, where she discovered that several checks and an undetermined amount placed inside a brown envelope were already missing.
Furthermore, Diaz stated that Escarda has "irregularities in (her) cash accountability" based on the cash examination conducted by a team of the Commission on Audit on Jan. 31.
These include undeposited collections totaling more than PHP6.629 million as of Jan. 20, as well as unliquidated cash advances totaling PHP972,000.
Mayor Irene Montilla said last week that she and Escarda met with Diaz on Jan. 30 at the Provincial Capitol here.
Montilla also stated that she has requested that Escarda's services be terminated by the Department of Finance's Bureau of Local Government Finance, which has direct supervision over the treasury offices of local government units.
