Gov’t doctor gets 114 years over fake timecards

A public doctor of the Manila city government was sentenced to serve up to 114 years in prison for falsifying her daily time records (DTRs) to receive full pay from two government institutions.

In a resolution recently issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 25, Rosalinda Benitez, a full-time Medical Officer IV at the Manila health department, was found guilty of 19 counts of falsification of documents under the Revised Penal Code.

Benitez was sentenced to serve a minimum of two years and a maximum of six years for each count – a total of 38 to 114 years in prison.

The court also ordered her to pay a fine of P2,000 for each count of the crime or a total of P38,000.

In the resolution, Branch 25 Presiding Judge Marlina Manuel said prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman were able to present sufficient evidence proving that while Benitez was a full-time medical officer of the city government’s health department, she was also working as part-time Medical Specialist II at the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital from 2003 to 2005.

“The holding of two government positions in the government is expressly prohibited by law and the accused in this case concealed and did not declare her simultaneous government employment with conflicting work schedule,” the resolution read.

The court added that evidence also proved that Benitez falsified her DTRs from August 2003 to February 2005 to make it appear that she rendered work, both in the city health department and Fabella Hospital, from 8 a.m. to noon daily to receive full compensation and allowances from both institutions.

“Benitez failed to give any satisfactory explanation on how she can work in two different places, even granting that these two workplaces are just near each other,” the court said.