Pasay City Treasurer Charged with Graft

This time, a city official of Pasay is now charged for graft and corruption

Manuel E. Leycano, Jr. was charged for not declaring ownership of a 2002 Isuzu wagon in his SALN

These days, it is not only Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona who is being tried for charges on graft and corruption.

The Revenue Integrity Protection Service (RIPS) of the Department of Finance has charged the city treasurer of Pasay City, Manuel E. Lyecano, Jr. with the same case for failing to disclose his properties in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN).

RIPS claimed in a statement released on Friday that Leycano did not include in his 2006 and 2009 SALNs one 2002 Isuzu Wagon. RIPS also said that the treasurer mentioned in his 2007 SALN the said vehicle which he claimed he got in the amount of P 850,000. The statement also said the vehicle was registered on May 29, 2002 with the Land Transportation Office (LTO). The vehicle was again registered on June 2, 2011.

There were also other motor vehicles included in the 2006 and 2009 SALN but these were not affirmed in his SALN of 2007. This indicated that Leycano did not fulfill his duty as a public officer as he did not provide a detailed SALN, according to RIPS.

“He also did not submit his SALNs for the years 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008,” RIPS stated.

RIPS also said the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) and the Office of the Ombudsman was in agreement that Leycano did not periodically submit his SALN.  

“I have religiously declared my personal assets and filed my SALN, I was never given chance to air my side before the complaint was filed,” Leycano denied as he told a reporter of a daily broadsheet.

For 14 years, Lyecano served as provincial treasurer of Laguna prior to being appointed as treasurer of Pasay City on April 30, 2010. He said that he filed his SALN with the human resource department of the provincial government. The HR department then filed the SALN with the Office of the Ombudsman.

“The investigation was limited only to records of the BLGF, they should have looked into the records of the provincial personnel office in Laguna,” Leycano said. “I was denied my right to due process.”

As of press time, Leycano said he will submit all the copies of his SALN as evidence that he was diligent with filing said document yearly.

photo: http://en.wikipedia.org