Employee held a family party at a gov’t office

The Department of Community and Cultural Affairs has implemented a monitoring system to regulate the use and disposal of the agency’s resources, particularly its food supply.

DCCA Secretary Thomas Tebuteb has put the monitoring system in place in response to the Office of the Public Auditor’s recommendation in an audit report which revealed rampant misuse of resources at the Aging Office.

Under the new policy, the staff of Aging Office is now required to sign a log sheet which shows the daily purchases of each inventory item, and another log sheet for consumption which shows the items taken out daily from the agency’s food storage.

OPA investigation found that in January 1998, the Aging Office’s accountant, Dolores Manibusan, used the agency’s kitchen, equipment, utilities, and food items to prepare for her grandson’s christening party for approximately 300 guests. The party was held at the Garapan Central Park, located a few yards away from the Aging Office.

The party food believed taken from the agency’s kitchen included 50 pounds of ribs, $100 pounds of rice, and 50 pounds of onions. These food items were being kept to feed the agency’s Manamko clients.

Manibusan denied having stolen the food from the Aging Office, saying she personally bought the items served at party. “However, she could not locate the receipts,” OPA said.

It was also found that Manibusan had ordered two other employees, who were on duty at the time, to drive a government vehicle to mail invitations for the christening party

“Although no criminal case was filed on the charges covered by this investigation, the former accountant entered a plea of guilty to one count of misconduct in public office [for the use] of the government vehicle for private nongovernmental purpose,” OPA said.

The same accountant was charged with theft of payroll based on OPA’s separate investigation. She eventually resigned from the Aging Office.

OPA’s investigation found that the Aging Office’s kitchen supervisor, Jose Santos, condoned Manibusan’s use of the agency’s official kitchen for the family party.

OPA is still awaiting DCCA’s action on Santos, who was neither removed nor reprimanded despite the public auditor’s earlier recommendation.

Removal from office, according to Public Auditor Leo LaMotte, was “the appropriate penalty for participating in the misuse of government properties based on personnel regulations.”

LaMotte said government properties are being abused in offices which don’t enforce restrictions on the use of office resources.

“Similar situations are likely to recur unless appropriate disciplinary actions are taken,” LaMotte said.