Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez ordered Saturday the indictment of a barangay treasurer in Pasig City for falsification and forging the signature of his chairman in order to disburse cash amounting to P300,000.

Charged before the Pasig City regional trial court (RTC) for falsification of public documents was Bonifacio Reyes, a barangay (village) treasurer of Barangay Buting in Pasig City.

Reyes was accused of forging the signature of Barangay Chairman Rolando Sambeli in disbursement vouchers, sales invoices and other documents authorizing the release of funds of more then P300,000.

In an eight-page resolution signed by Gutierrez, the anti-graft body ruled that “Reyes cannot arrogate upon himself the blanket authority to act under Sambeli considering that a duly designated barangay chairman was appointed who is authorized to transact business for and in behalf of the barangay during Sambeli’s leave of absence.”

The Office of the Ombudsman also recommended a bail of P24,000 was recommended for the temporary release of Reyes.

In the probe conducted by the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Office (FIO), it was disclosed that Sambeli filed a vacation leave from November 28, 2004 to January 27, 2005.

Despite his absence, however, two checks in the amount of P225,000 and P117,970 were approved and signed under his name as well as supporting documents including a sales invoice, certificate of delivery and acceptance, notice to deliver, purchase order and memorandum receipt for equipment.

Based on a letter submitted to the Commission on Audit (CoA), Sambeli admitted that he left blank checks under the barangay’s account with his signatures to Reyes as usual practice. He claimed that he customarily entrusted such blank checks to Reyes to expedite the processing of financial transactions in their barangay.

Sambeli, however, denied that the signatures written above his name on the disbursement vouchers and other supporting documents were his.

Reyes subsequently admitted that he affixed Sambeli’s signatures to the said documents without the latter’s consent, but insisted that he did it “in all good faith and guided with the honest intention to expedite and facilitate the speedy processing of our vouchers.”

He also averred that since Sambeli entrusted to him with the signed blank checks, he interpreted it as a blanket authority for him to fill in the details of the blank checks and to prepare the corresponding vouchers with the supporting documents, as well as to affix Sambeli’s signature over his printed name.