Bunkhouse document now with COA

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Davao Region already submitted to the Commission on Audit (COA) the document containing the forged signature of two of the 12 people hired for the construction of bunkhouses in Compostela, Compostela Valley.

In a phone interview, Carmela Duron, DSWD information officer, said the document was one of the files on bunkhouse construction forwarded to the COA for post-audit.

Though she could not recall as to the date of its submission, she said the post-audit is now "ongoing."

She said the submission of all the documents for bunkhouses stemmed from the article published in a national daily, questioning the alleged "overpricing" of bunkhouses.

"I-fast track ang post-audit sa tanan bunkhouse construction ng DSWD. I'm sure maapil na siya diha," Duron said. "DSWD will share the audit report sa mga mangayo."

Romulo Serot, 50, carpenter, and his son Remly on Tuesday wanted DSWD to clarify things after their signatures were allegedly forged on the list of workers who received P4, 200 each as carpenters for the bunkhouse built in Compostela town, Compotela Valley.

Romulo said he only got P300 for a one-day carpentry job, while Remly, who was hired as a laborer for three days with P200-per-day salary, received P600.

Based on a copy of a record from the DSWD obtained by Nico Alconaba of Inquirer, it revealed that both the father and the son signed the document stating that they worked for 12 days (from December 11 to December 22, 2012) with a rate of P350 per day each; P50 more than what Romulo received for a day’s work.

"This record lies because I only worked for one day and my son only worked for three days," Romulo said.

He said the signature on the DSWD document is forged because he only asked his son to claim his payment.

Remly, on the other hand, said he was asked to sign a paper, but this was not the document shown, adding that he did not collect the amount stated in the document.

The Serots said they feel "betrayed" since the money they actually received was not the exact amount written on the document. (Arianne Caryl N. Casas)