The Quezon City Hall lost around half a million pesos in payroll money during an alleged burglary that is believed to have taken place over the long weekend.

Chief Inspector Ritchie Claravall, head of the City Hall detachment of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), said that City Hall records showed that P565,000 in cash was lost from the reported burglary that was discovered on Monday morning.

In the meantime, Claravall said that they are investigating city hall employee Mercy Emalay, who works as paymaster treasurer, over the loss.

The police official said that Emalay was the first person who discovered about the missing money from the vault of the Cash Division of the City Treasurer’s Office located on the ground floor of the new building located behind the City Hall.

He noted that Emalay was the only person who knows the combination lock of the vault.

Claravall stressed that the alleged burglary is an inside job since there were no signs of forced entry and that guards were present outside the office.

Emalay recounted that she just arrived at her office at 8 a.m. when she opened the vault and realized that it was not locked.

She told police that, upon opening the vault, she was surprised to find the money there already gone.

The only items that were left were her jewelry that she kept stashed in the vault.

She claimed she last closed the vault Thursday afternoon since Friday was a holiday, but later admitted that she might have forgotten to lock the vault last Thursday.

Emalay also said that some P200,000 was in the vault.

However, City Hall records showed that P565,000 were in the vault which was intended as payroll for the People’s Law Enforcement Board.