Petty cash issue vs EdPam is ‘petty’ - exec

ANGELES CITY -- City Administrator Dennis Albert Pamintuan Friday called on the camp of Congressman Carmelo Lazatin to stop misinterpreting the Commission on Audit (COA) observations on city hall operations.

“For lack of anything to say, Lazatin and his ilk are already nitpicking. The COA observations they are citing with regards to petty cash use are indeed very petty. We would not be winning awards from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) if there is any adverse report from COA,” he said.

The Angeles City government has been awarded four more awards Friday by DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas III for good governance, transparency and efficiency, according to Pamintuan.

He challenged the Lazatin camp to present also the COA findings on the use of the Congressman’s pork barrel funds.

According to him, what Lazatin cited was not even a COA report. It is an Audit Observation Memoranda (AOM) regularly issued by COA for comments.

An AOM may likewise be issued to notify the agency head and/or other officials concerned relative to the findings, observations, other deficiencies noted which require comments or reply within a reasonable time, he said.

“Lazatin, through IC Calaguas, keeps saying we use petty cash not only for fuel, but also for food, and reportedly paid P4.2 million worth of food and meals in 2011 using petty cash,” Pamintuan said, adding such would have been disallowed by COA.

He said each office unit at city hall is allowed only P1,000 of petty case at any given time.

“At that amount, how can it be possible to pay P4.2 million even if our offices replenish their P1,000 petty cash every day, which is not possible,” he added.

“Because Lazatin has been in public office for 25 years, and Calaguas has been his aide for a long time, sometimes exercising more power than Lazatin himself, they both know that reimbursements are a normal practice in government. There are times when government officials and employees are forced to use personal funds for emergency and urgent expenses, which they later reimburse from official funds,” Pamintuan explained.

He said reimbursements follow strict procedures before they are granted.

Pamintuan also denied the city government owes P2.5 million from a gas station.

“Desperation is written all over the faces of Lazatin and his people that they are throwing accusations left and right everyday through media, as if media is the main arena of political battle. We challenge them to go down to the people and present their platform,” he said.

Pamintuan said what Calaguas presented as a platform for Lazatin is just riding on and imitating Mayor Pamintuan’s accomplishments.

“They are deceiving the people by promising them that they will provide free college education and medical services, yet will cut down tax collections. Where will they get the subsidies?” he asked. (Reynaldo G. Navales)