By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Office (PLO) said yesterday that the ongoing investigation into the allegedly stolen municipal funds could possibly be expanded.

Provincial Legal Officer Atty. Alberto Nellas, Jr. said he had already received the endorsement for the probe from the acting municipal treasurer of Isabela town.

The endorsement also includes the report from the Commission on Audit.

This comes after former Isabela municipal treasurer Neneth Escarda’s house in Bacolod City’s Barangay Taculing was allegedly ransacked by robbers carting away at least P7 million worth of cash and checks owned by the municipal government.

Nellas said they will look into the endorsement, adding that the reason why the investigation was handed over to the PLO is because the municipality does not have its own legal officer.

“Since they do not have a municipal legal officer, as PLO, we will be taking charge with the investigation of the said funds nga allegedly nadispalko sang municipal treasurer,” Nellas said.

The investigation will possibly be expanded to other individuals who may have a connection with Escarda.

The issue could also possibly be referred to the Office of the Ombudsman.

On January 21, Escarda approached Police Station 6 in Bacolod City to complain that her house in the city’s Barangay Taculing had been burglarized.

The robbers carted away P3.8 million in bank checks, as well as cash amounting to P2.6 million.

However, investigators from Police Station 6 are currently baffled by the robbery incident as they have observed several oddities from the case.

Meanwhile, Isabela Mayor Irene Montilla said Escarda was not supposed to bring home the municipal government’s property, adding that she had released a memo assigning another municipal official to deposit the municipal government’s funds to the bank./DGB, WDJ