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The Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) credit officer has been suspended for 30 days for his involvement in the loss of Philhealth checks worth P240,000.
Cebu City Attorney Joseph Bernaldez yesterday ordered the preventive suspension of Maria Lourdes Archua pending investigation for the missing checks.
Bernaldez said the probe would start next week.
Administrative Assistant III Ranulfa Alia would take over the post vacated by Archua to ensure that billing operations of the city-ran hospital would not be hampered.
He, however, clarified that the suspension was not a penalty but only a measure to prevent Archua from interfering with the ongoing investigation.
According to the suspension order, the City Legal Office found a ?prima facie administrative case for gross neglect of duty? against Archua, CCMC credit officer IV, after conducting a preliminary investigation.
Bernaldez said there was a lapse on Archua's part when she released 28 checks to a person who claimed to be an employee of Philhealth.
The investigating committee included Bernaldez and City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete. The committee, however, will convene on Monday since department heads, councilors and the mayor will attend a seminar starting today until Friday.
Bernaldez said they would summon witnesses and the employee of the Office of the Building Official who was involved in re-discounting of checks.
?We will start asking questions on how it happened that checks reached (OBO employee's) hands. He paid about P84,000 for the checks,? Bernaldez said.
Bernaldez said the employee would be asked to become a witness after the initial investigation showed that the employee was also a victim in this incident.
?He even shelled out cash. He lost money on this. And so we don't see any need for that person to be suspended,? said Bernaldez.
Bernaldez said the committee would also investigate officials of the Land Bank of the Philippines and Philhealth on a later date.
The City Attorney also suggested that the committee and the National Bureau of Investigation, which had been investigating the case of the missing checks since May, hold a joint investigation.
