COA subjects executive assistant of city treasurer to cash exam

Thursday, March 31, 2011

THE Commission on Audit (COA) yesterday conducted a cash examination on the officer accountable for the P5.1-million cash advance for the purchase of Christmas lights and decorations without the city accountant’s approval.

A team from COA-Cebu City looked into the transaction for the Christmas decorations and checked if the cash advance made by bonded officer Julieta Mariquita, executive secretary of the City Treasurer’s Office, matched the cash items that include, among others, the official receipts.

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The cash exam is done upon the discretion of COA to determine if government funds were handled appropriately. It also determines if safeguards against fraud and loss of government funds were practiced.

COA also directed Mariquita to liquidate all cash advances. Otherwise, the state auditors will declare shortage of funds.

As of yesterday, City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva said eight departments have not yet submitted the liquidation report on the lighting project.

This includes the Department of Engineering and Public Works, Cebu City Medical Center, Department of Public Services, Management Computer Information Services, Market Operations Division, City Agriculture, Human Resource and Development Office, and the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries.

All the departments of City Hall were given petty cash advances from the P5.1 million last year since each department was assigned a certain street to decorate with Christmas lights.

Atty. Eva Cabrera of COA refused to comment when Sun.Star Cebu asked her yesterday about the results of the cash exam.

Meanwhile, Mayor Michael Rama did not accept the resignation of City Accountant Arlene Rentuza, after sitting on it for almost a month.

Rama, instead, wants Rentuza to serve as department head of the Internal Audit Services (IAS) office.

In an interview yesterday, Rentuza said Rama asked her to withdraw her resignation.

“But I said no. I told him, can you just please act on it, but Belinda (Navascues, the Secretary to the Mayor) said the mayor wants to act on it nga dili kuno resignation ang tono (but it doesn’t sound like resignation),” she said.

This prompted Rentuza to write the mayor again, saying she has reconsidered her decision to resign, following her conversation with Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young and Councilor Jose Daluz III.

“As they convincingly asked me to reconsider my decision, coupled with the kind words they put in for my job performance, I was deeply humbled and could only accede to their requests to continue my service in the government,” she said, in a statement.

“I am hereby formally informing your good self (Rama) that I am deferring my resignation from the service with the hope that I shall be given the opportunity to serve in another capacity as head of the Internal Audit Services Office,” she added.

The mayor is yet to act on the letter of Rentuza, as he only received it yesterday.