The Sandiganbayan found mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez and municipal treasurer Imelda Celebrar, both of San Enrique, Iloilo, guilty of 16 counts of violation of Section 52(c) of the Government Service Insurance System Act of 1997 (Republic Act No. 8291) and 11 counts of violation of Section 3(a) of Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 2009 (Republic Act No. 9679).
They were ordered to each pay a fine totaling P700,000.00.
Fernandez and Celebrar were indicted for failing to timely remit GSIS contributions totalling P5.3 million for the period from January 2011 to October 2011, April 2012, and from June 2012 to October 2012. The accused also failed to remit Pag-ibig contributions totaling P620,000.00 from January 2011 to February 2011, April 2011, October 2011, from December 2011 to February 2012, from August 2012 to October 2012, and December 2012.
During their re-arraignment, the accused, assisted by counsel, manifested their intention to change their plea from “not guilty” to “guilty” after being informed of the nature and cause of the accusations against them.
Under the Law, local chief executives and other responsible officers are mandated to remit GSIS and Pag-ibig contributions within 30 days from the time that the same shall have been due and demandable. The employees’ and employers’ GSIS contributions are due within the first 10 days of the calendar month following the month to which the contributions apply, while Pag-ibig contributions must be remitted within 15 days from the date the same were collected unless another period is previously agreed upon between the employer and the fund, or within such periods as the fund may prescribe otherwise. ###