Administrative Order No. 174




MALACAÑAN PALACE MANILA BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES [ ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 174, June 26, 1969 ] REMOVING MR. DOMADO ALONTO FROM OFFICE AS CITY TREASURER OF MARAWI This is an administrative case filed by Councilors Hadji Mama R. Datu and Hadji Ismael Barodi of Marawi City against City Treasurer Domado Alonto of the same city for maladministration, graft and corruption, misfeasance, favoritism, dishonesty and neglect in the performance of duties, consisting of eleven (11) counts, to wit: (1) Violation of Section 434 of the Manual of Instructions to Treasurers for tolerating the construction of market stalls in Marawi City without the intervention of his office in spite of the requirement to that effect of City Ordinance No. 657, series of 1967; (2) Collecting fees on transient goods and parking fees on vehicles despite the nonexistence of any parking lot reserved by the city government for the purpose; (3) Paying the salaries of eight (8) deputy mayors whose positions were abolished by the City Council under its Resolution No. 41, series of 1967, and notwithstanding the existence of an overdraft of P124,041.09 in the general fund; (4) Disbursing trust and general funds for unauthorized services, in violation of accounting laws and regulations, resulting in overdrafts in the general and trust funds amounting to P124,041.09 and P39,297.92, respectively. (5) Non-collection of fees from his delinquent relatives (Hadji Batua Alonto and Sheik Tawagun Alonto) while forcing other taxpayers to pay by persistent demands and/or by complaints filed in court; (6) Engaging in political activity for having allowed the former City Mayor of Marawi to assign spaces in the bi-weekly market site to persons who had sworn to support the reelection bid of said official; (7) Appointing his nephew, Salvador T. Alonto, as city cashier and bypassing the employee next in rank in violation of Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of Civil Service Rule VII on promotion; (8) Defying Resolution No. 41, series of 1967, of the City Council by continuously and surreptitiously paying through market collectors the salaries of eight (8) deputy mayors whose items were abolished thereunder; (9) Refusing to pay the approved salary vouchers of complainant Councilor Ismael Barodi for alleged lack of funds, while paying those of others including a city councilor, the eight (8) deputy mayors, several collectors, etc; (10) Misappropriating cart of the P20,000 SWA aid to city fire victims; and (11) Ignorance of accounting debit and credit symbols. After a careful review of the records, I agree with the findings of the investigator, the City Treasurer of Iligan, as concurred in by the Secretary of Finance, that Counts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11 should be dismissed for lack of merit, and that respondent is guilty as regards Counts 4 and 9. In admitting the existence of the overdrafts in question (Count 4), respondent not only failed to provide concrete solution to the annual financial distress of the city but also made matters worse when he approved the payment of expenses beyond the authorized appropriations and lack of available city funds despite his awareness of the insufficiency thereof. Respondent, by his own admission, violated Section 614 of the Revised Administrative Code which provides that trust funds shall not be paid out of any treasury except in fulfillment of the purpose for which the trust was created or fund received, and upon authorization of the head of Bureau or Office having control thereof. Moreover, there is no evidence that the prior approval of the Secretary of finance was secured by respondent in the incurrence of the overdrafts in question. As to Count 9, respondent allowed his personal animosity against complainant Barodi to delay payment of the latter’s salaries.1âшphi1 The records in respondent’s office reveal that payment of complainant’s salaries for the months of January and February 1967 were collected by him on July 10, 1967, only, while those for July, August and September 1967 were paid in October of the same year. In view of the serious nature of the offenses committed by respondent, I am constrained to take drastic action against him. Wherefore, Mr. Domado Alonto is hereby removed from office as City Treasurer of Marawi, effective upon receipt of a copy of this order. Done in the City of Manila, this 26th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and sixty-nine. (Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President of the Philippines By the President: (Sgd.) RAFAEL M. SALAS Executive Secretary The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation