PSC seeks NBI help in probing ‘payroll padding’ scam

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine Sports Commission discovered a “payroll-padding’’ scheme on the monthly allowances of coaches and athletes, prompting the National Bureau of Investigation to apprehend the alleged culprit and investigate the anomaly.

PSC officer-in-charge Ramon Fernandez said Paul Ignacio, a longtime employee at the sports agency’s personnel department, was picked up by the NBI on Tuesday for inquest.

Fernandez said the alleged anomaly could have resulted in millions of pesos in losses for the PSC after the Land Bank Philippines, one of the agency’s depository banks, red-flagged the irregularity where the allowances were deposited into the account of Ignacio for the past five years.

“There might be other people involved in this case because he definitely cannot do it on his own,’’ said Fernandez.

According to Fernandez, Ignacio allegedly padded the payroll of the national pool of athletes and coaches after receiving the list from the PSC National Sports Affairs section to the human resources department.

“At the onset, only small amounts had been deposited. But the bank became suspicious when he made a one-time withdrawal of P2 million from his account,’’ said Fernandez.

Fernandez revealed the PSC might have lost between P12 to P14 million or even more since the anomaly has allegedly been going on since 2013.

“We have sought the help of the NBI on the matter. There were red flags, which alerted us so we acted accordingly,’’ said Fernandez.

He added that the list included athletes and coaches who are no longer part of the national team.

“We hope that we can get to the truth and bring the accountable to justice swiftly. The PSC will never waver in its duty to protect the interest of its stakeholders and the Filipino people,’’ added Fernandez.