2 Capiz employees face charges for forged signatures

By Felipe V. Celino

ROXAS CITY, Capiz — Two employees of the provincial government of Capiz are facing charges for allegedly faking the signatures of department heads to gain money from hotel and catering services.

Capiz Governor Fredenil H. Castro said in a media interview on Wednesday, Sept. 17, that his office is gathering documents and evidence regarding the alleged illegal transactions.

Reports identified the two workers as alias Krizzy, formerly assigned to the Provincial Economic, Development and Investment Office and later transferred to the Office of the Provincial Governor, and alias Jerry Mae, who was with the Provincial General Services Office.

Krizzy’s job involved carrying documents and papers for the governor’s signature.

The governor ordered an investigation after Rosemarie Gardose, deputy provincial administrator of the second district of Capiz, discovered that her signature had been forged.

Gardose said the two employees were involved in a “fictitious” purchase request and “bloated attendance” to justify a “fictitious” transaction during a provincial government activity held at the establishment a few months ago.

The two workers reportedly resigned from their offices recently, citing health reasons.

Castro said he believed that four employees, not just two, may have been involved in the transaction.

He said he will no longer seek an investigation from the National Bureau of Investigation, which he initially considered, and will instead order backtracking of the employees’ transactions to build evidence for filing charges.

“Maybe we will be filing the necessary charges against them,” Castro said.