The Sandiganbayan has sentenced a former Bacolod City mayor and her secretary to 14 years in prison each. They were found guilty of seven counts of malversation of public funds. The case involved tampered cash slips attached to disbursement vouchers totaling over P270,000.
In a detailed 114-page ruling dated April 29, the court pointed to former mayor Luzviminda Valdez as the main culprit. She was the claimant of the reimbursements using the falsified cash slips. She also received all nine checks involved in the case.
Her secretary, Brendo Elegio, was found equally guilty. The court said he requested reimbursements using the same falsified documents.
The Sandiganbayan emphasized that Valdez and Elegio conspired to falsify the cash slips. Their defense failed to disprove the evidence or explain why forged documents appeared in the disbursement vouchers they prepared and approved.
Neither Valdez nor Elegio could prove that the cash slips in question were not the original ones attached to the vouchers. They also could not provide a convincing explanation for the presence of fake documents.
The court concluded that both failed to present reasonable evidence to break the presumption that they were the forgers.
Beyond the prison sentence, Valdez and Elegio were each fined P5,000 for every count of malversation linked to the falsified documents. The ruling sends a clear message: public officials who betray trust will face the full force of the law.
#Sandiganbayan Bubugbog 14-taong Kaso