Ex-PTV 4 head pleads guilty to cash advance rap

Former People’s Television Network Inc. (PTV 4) general manager and chief operating officer Renato Caluag has pleaded guilty to a criminal case before the Sandiganbayan over his failure to liquidate cash advances amounting to P62,200.

Caluag entered a guilty plea before the anti-graft court’s First Division to one count of violation of Article 218 (failure to render accounts) of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

With the plea, Caluag admitted the to allegation of the Office of the Ombudsman that he failed to liquidate cash advances amounting to P62,200, which he received in January 2012, supposedly to defray the production cost of a pilot episode featuring PTV 4’s flagship programs.

Because of his voluntary admission of guilt, the First Division, chaired by Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz, only directed Caluag to return the amount that he received from the state-owned television network. He was also ordered to pay a fine of P500.

Article 218 of the RPC penalizes incumbent and former public officials who fail to liquidate or render their received public funds within two months after receiving the money.