A public school principal in Virac, Catanduanes, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for falsifying documents and misappropriating P5,000 from government funds.
The Sandiganbayan upheld the Virac Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 42 ruling on February 12, which found Anchelita Sicio, principal of Taytay Elementary School, guilty of malversation and falsification.
For malversation, the anti-graft court approved the RTC’s sentence of four months and one day to three years of imprisonment.
Sicio was also disqualified from holding any government position and fined P5,000.
Additionally, the Sandiganbayan imposed a P5,000 civil liability fine, equivalent to the amount she allegedly misappropriated.
Regarding the falsification charge, the Sandiganbayan revised the RTC’s decision, convicting Sicio of document falsification as a public official, which carries a heavier penalty.
As a result, the court modified her falsification sentence from four months and one day to three years and six months in prison to six months and one day to eight years.
Sicio was also fined an additional P3,000 for the falsification offense.
Court records revealed that Sicio falsified a sales invoice to make it appear that the school purchased 28 sacks of cement worth P7,000, while only eight sacks worth P2,000 were actually bought.
The court further found that Sicio failed to account for the missing P5,000, which was part of the financial assistance provided to the school by the provincial government of Catanduanes.