Concerned employees of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) are calling on chairperson Atty. Romando Artes to order an impartial audit into an alleged payroll shaving scheme that may have affected thousands of employees.

Speaking to DAILY TRIBUNE, employees who requested anonymity said they were alarmed by the discovery of deductions from their salaries. They reported hearing that Artes had ordered an audit but that it would be conducted internally, not by an independent firm.

“How can we have an impartial conduct of the audit of the payroll shaving/padding if those who will conduct it is from the agency itself?” one source within the MMDA said.

The source said the alleged scheme was discovered after a change in management at the MMDA’s official bank. Employees, who typically withdraw their salaries via ATMs, reportedly became aware of discrepancies.

To recall, the discovery reportedly occurred when a woman, allegedly involved in the scheme, inquired with the bank about funds in a separate account. A new bank manager reportedly found that the account in question was separate from the MMDA’s official account.

The source also stated that the individual who created the payroll program resigned after learning of the discovery.

Employees reportedly do not regularly receive pay slips, relying on their ATM cards for salary withdrawals. They allege that P50 has been deducted from their paychecks on the 15th and 30th of each month, affecting more than 6,000 MMDA employees.

“Imagine we are deducted P50 every payroll, and it is P100 in one month times the number of employees,” one employee lamented. “No wonder some of those involved have flashy SUVs, big bikes and properties.”