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Tuesday, September 20, 2005
DBM 7 chief denies receiving illegal honorarium
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 7 Director Carmela Fernan denied she received an illegal honorarium as member of a committee of the Regional Development Council.
Fernan faxed to Sun.Star Cebu a copy of a check issued to her which is already stale because she did not receive it or encash it.
The check, for P5,700, was dated July 28, 2004.
She also showed a disbursement voucher for the transaction dated July 27, 2004 that she did not sign.
Fernan wanted to clarify a report published in another daily that the Commission on Audit (COA) ordered her and some other officials to refund the honorarium that she received because it was illegal.
COA, according to the report, used an existing policy prohibiting government officials and employees already receiving salaries from receiving honorarium.
But Fernan said she went to the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) yesterday morning to verify the report.
Her initial suspicion was that someone may have forged her signature to en- cash the check that she refused to receive when it was delivered to her office.
But she found out during her visit to Neda that the check and the disbursement voucher were still unsigned.
“I was shocked when I read the news because I have returned it (the check),” Fernan said.
She also clarified the matter with COA.
Their agency’s auditor, Diosdada Bastian, reportedly told her that the document where the report was raised was not yet a final audit report.
It was still an audit observation memorandum, of which the agency and officials involved are still given a chance to explain or clarify matters. (JPM)
(September 20, 2005 issue)
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