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Thursday, August 24, 2006
COA scolds Cebu towns for ‘excessive’ spending
By Jeanette P. Malinao
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
The Commission on Audit (COA) chided towns for excessive expenditures whose benefits for constituents could not be determined, such as food for seminars, among others.
Carcar in southern Cebu, for example, spent P350,767 for various activities without proper documentation. Of that, P222,199 paid for food in conferences and meetings.
Government auditors considered these “unnecessary, excessive and extravagant.” Besides, there were no signed lists of attendees or programs of activities on any subject matter.
“(The lack of documents) cast doubt on the legitimacy of the transactions. There was no proof that the expenses were legal,” read the report for Carcar.
“It is recommended that food must be served only in conferences or meetings that are essential and will redound to the benefit of the constituents,” it added.
Aside from Carcar, Alcoy also spent P315,496 on food but did not submit proper documents, spending “as much as P726.18 per person for meal and snack for a seminar-workshop.”
Lower price
Auditors found this excessive “since there are caterers offering the same for lower price.”
Moreover, Alcoy did not submit any program of activity, so “benefits for constituents could not be determined.”
Among the other “excesses” mentioned was the extra cash gift that Dalaguete gave to its officials and employees, for a total of P1,043,000.
COA found after computation that the town already exceeded its 45 percent limit on personnel services, so it should not have released the extra cash gift.
Dalaguete was told to refund the amount and directed to stop the practice of granting extra cash gifts to employees when it has no funds legally available for such.
Meanwhile, councilors in Boljoon also claimed “excessive” traveling allowances of P20,939 when they went to the 6th National Congress of the Philippine Councilors’ League and the National Movement of Young Legislators.
COA pointed out that travel, regardless of rank and destination, must only be P800 a day.
Boljoon was also told to stop releasing allowances for its chief of police, being a fifth-class municipality.
Bonuses
Only first-class towns and cities can extend such assistance, according to the auditors, but the Municipality of Boljoon explained that they give allowances to the police chief because the police did not avail themselves of the town’s intelligence funds for their operations.
In Oslob, also of southern Cebu, the officials bought series lights to beautify the municipal hall and the plaza for last year’s holiday season.
But COA said Oslob paid P50 for each of the 360 sets, when the neighboring town of Dalaguete bought the same at only P23 per set.
“In line with the austerity measures, it is proper if we do not spend too much on decoration but prioritize spending,” COA told Oslob town officials.
For its part, Barili, another southern town, was also told to refund the anniversary bonus it released at P3,000 each, without legal basis.
The same goes for the P100,000 cash gift that Minglanilla, Cebu gave to its job-order employees, who are not entitled to such benefit.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 24, 2006 issue)
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