School Principal Sentenced to 11 Years for Misusing P5,000 in Public Funds

A public school principal in Virac, Catanduanes has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after being found guilty of falsifying public documents and misappropriating P5,000 in government funds.

The Sandiganbayan upheld a decision by the Virac Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 42 in a ruling promulgated on February 12, confirming Anchelita Sicio of Taytay Elementary School’s guilt for malversation and falsification under the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

Conviction Details

Malversation: The anti-graft court’s Seventh Division affirmed the RTC’s sentence of four months and one day to three years, six months, and 21 days in prison.
Falsification: The court modified the original sentence, increasing it from four months and one day to three years, six months, and 21 days, to six months and one day to eight years and one day.

Additional Penalties

Sicio has been permanently disqualified from public office.
The court imposed a fine of P5,000 and an additional civil liability fine of P5,000—equivalent to the amount misappropriated.
For the falsification charge, an extra fine of P3,000 was added.

Case Findings

Court records revealed that Sicio falsified a sales invoice to falsely reflect a purchase of 28 bags of cement worth P7,000 when, in reality, only eight bags costing P2,000 were bought. The court ruled that she failed to account for the missing P5,000, which was part of the financial assistance granted to the school by the provincial government of Catanduanes.

The anti-graft court revised the ruling, clarifying that Sicio committed falsification as a public official, which carries a more severe penalty compared to falsification by a private individual.