Sandiganbayan affirms jail terms against Tarlac revenue collector

SANTA Ignacia, Tarlac revenue collector Joseph Pattawi has failed to persuade the Sandiganbayan to reverse its November 2023 ruling that upheld his conviction on a charge of malversation of public funds.

In a resolution issued December 11, 2023, the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division threw out his motion for reconsideration for being pro-forma.

The court sustained the prosecution’s argument that the defendant’s appeal failed to specify which parts of the assailed court ruling were contrary to law or unsupported by evidence.

Such a requirement was set under Section 2 Rule 37 of the Revised Rules of Court.

Pattawi had sought relief from the adverse ruling because the testimonies offered in evidence were merely hearsay and the amount he was supposed to have pocketed was not specified during the trial.

Prosecutors pointed out that these same grounds had been raised by the defense when it challenged Pattawi’s conviction by the Tarlac Regional Trial Court on April 28, 2022.

The defendant was meted two to six years imprisonment with perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

In addition, he was also fined P343,314.58 with six percent legal interest from the finality of the decision.

Records showed that the accused was an employee of the municipal government of Santa Ignacia and was detailed as a collector under the Municipal Treasurer’s Office from 2007 to 2013.

A cash examination conducted by the Commission on Audit in October 2013 revealed a shortage in his collections amounting to P343,314.58, which he acknowledged in a certification as an accountable officer.

In his letter to the audit team, Pattawi said he incurred the shortage because he used part of his collections to pay the hospital bills of his wife and to support other relatives in his care.

However, the explanation offered earned him no reprieve as the court held that his admission established the elements of the offense as charged.