A new principal’s “unpleasant relationship” with some teachers allegedly loyal to their former school head led to the filing of the twin criminal cases against the latter who recently lost her appeal before the Sandiganbayan.
Last Feb. 12, 2025, or about 10 years after the cases were filed before the Regional Trial Court, the Sandiganbayan denied the appeal filed by Caramoran Central Elementary School Principal II Anchelita Panti Sicio.
In affirming the decision of the RTC with modifications, the graft court increased the sentence of imprisonment in its maximum period from the original seven (7) years and 42 days to 11 years, six months and 22 days.
Civil liability in the amount of P5,000 was also added to the P5,000 fine top be paid by Sicio, who was also ordered to suffer perpetual special disqualification.
Evidence presented by prosecution before the RTC as well as witness testimony showed that when complainant Salve Templo took over as principal of Taytay Elementary School in Rawis, Virac, a contentious relationship with some teachers whom she thought were loyal to the former principal, instigated her to file the criminal complaint against Sicio and several teaching staff sometime in 2015.
During a conference at the school, Templo raised the necessity of liquidating P7,000 in financial assistance granted by the provincial government to then Principal Sicio in 2014, after the president of the teachers and employees association failed to have similar assistance released due to the non-liquidation of the earlier release.
It was during the meeting that BAC chairperson Mary Ann Gonzales revealed that she was given a photocopy of a receipt by Sicio to be submitted for liquidation to the provincial capitol.
The document copy was for Sales Invoice No. 000308 issued on Feb. 10, 2012 by YKKY General Merchandise bearing the amount of P7,000 for 28 bags of Portland cement sold to Sicio.
Gonzales, however, noticed discrepancies as the number “2” was written before “8” to make it “28” and the figure “7” was superimposed on “2” to change the amount from P2,000 to P7,000.
The teacher told the court that she saw the principal herself tamper with the document and when she told Sicio about it, the latter allegedly replied, “Iyo na an, pwede na an.”
Gonzales refused to submit the document and instead kept them in her custody, leading to the non-liquidation of the financial assistance.
In June 2014, a certain Gary Tanon gave her another YKKY receipt to replace the 2012 invoice but she refused, as the old invoice had already been given to Templo. Another teacher presented another invoice dated June 25, 2012 for P7,000 to liquidate the assistance.
The new principal also confirmed the authenticity of the old invoice by locating the original receipt that bore the amount of P2,000 for 8 bags of cement.
Templo’s original complaint covered two transactions: one for P7,000 paid for 28 bags of cement supposedly purchased for the flooring of the school stage in 2012; and the P3,170 paid for 24 light bulbs used in the billeting of athletes at the school.
From the two transactions, the Office of the Ombudsman originally filed four Informations against Sicio on March 11, 2016, with the bulbs cases resulting in her acquittal.
The Sandiganbayan noted in its decision on the appeal that the trial proceedings were “animated” that it resulted in the inhibition of two judges: former Presiding Judge Lelu P. Contreras in 2019 and former Presiding Judge Genie G. Gapas-Agbada in 2021.
In her appeal, Sicio claimed that the testimony of YKKY proprietor Gary Sarmiento that he did not tamper with the original invoice and that of Provincial Accountant Sonia Villaluna on the submission of liquidation reports proved her innocence, and that Gonzales did not actually see her tamper with the invoice.
In its ruling, the Sandiganbayan described as an error the accused’s claim on the inadmissibility of Sales Invoice 000308 since it was never utilized nor submitted for liquidation purposes.
“On the surface, a sales invoice issued by a private proprietorship is a private document, lacking the vestige of public office,” it stated. “Once such sales invoice is turned over to a public for purposes of disbursement, as in this case, it becomes a public document, becoming part of the records of the public office.”
It is inconsequential or immaterial if the invoice was not used for liquidation purposes or kept in the personal custody of another public officer, it added.
The graft court also noted that the positive and consistent statement made by witness Gonzales was barely disproved by the defense and even reinforced her testimony.
It agreed with the RTC finding on the malversation charge, as Sicio failed to duly account for the public funds for which she was accountable, but did not agree that the crime of falsification could not apply.
The court noted that it was in the custody of Sales Invoice No. 000308, when it was due for liquidation covering a sale transaction involving public funds, that the accused-appellant took advantage of her position by falsifying the entries reflected therein.