Sunday, August 26, 2007 Despite pending accounts, Ouano still gets cash advances: barangay
MANDAUE City Councilor Joy Ouano is still drawing cash from her barangay funds despite the City Government’s move to freeze her honorarium and cash advances, because of unliquidated cash advances amounting to more than P3.8 million.
Barangay Opao treasurer Ernesto Mendoza told Sun.Star Cebu the last release made to Ouano was last May 7, for two checks for P81,000 each.
The money represented four months’ salaries of barangay councilors in 2006.
But barangay councilors and other village workers have not received their salaries for 13 months.
Ouano sits in the City Council as an ex-officio member, being president of the Association of Barangay Councils.
“Wa mi hatagi ug honorarium pero nadawat na diay niya (Ouano) ang kwarta (We have not received our honorarium although she has apparently received the money),” all seven councilors said in a press conference last Friday.
They also learned that despite deductions made in the salaries released to them, the amounts were not remitted to the cooperative where they have loans.
Ombudsman
This prompted barangay councilors Cielito Iway, Diosdado Gepulla, Ernesto Naparate, Julius Nuñez, Francisco Ponce, Rafol Macalolooy and Celestina Prada to file a complaint for “several irregularities” against Ouano at the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
Ouano, when sought for reaction, said her lawyer is already handling the case and she will wait until it is resolved before making further comments.
Former mayor Thadeo Ouano, in a separate interview, urged the Commission on Audit to look closely into the matter.
Thadeo, Joy’s older brother, said he believes other barangay officials also have unliquidated cash advances.
The complaint against Ouano was filed last May 21.
During a conference last June 28, Ombudsman Director Virginia Palanca Santiago asked Councilor Ouano to submit documents such as payrolls and gave her 15 days to comply.
Last July 20, Ouano’s lawyer Ivan Herrero asked for more time to finish the liquidation and submit the documents.
Loan payments
But the barangay councilors said they have not received any communication from the ombudsman or from Ouano since then.
The councilors receive P9,000 a month. They said that Ouano owes them P819,000, but the amount may reach about P1 million because lupon members and barangay tanods have yet to get their pay too.
They have not been paid in December 2005 and from September last year to the present.
They also learned recently that deductions from their June, July and August 2006 salaries were not remitted to the Cebu First Instance (CFI) Cooperative, after they got demand letters.
Last Aug. 22, 2006, City Accountant Eliseo Ledesma informed Ouano through a letter that all her cash advance vouchers will be withheld until her previous cash advances, amounting to P3,845,785.08, are liquidated.
Ouano’s cash advances remained unsettled, prompting Ledesma to write her another letter in December 2006.
Withdrawals
A marginal note on the letter stated, “Payroll for September to December 2006 (not processed due to non-liquidation of previous cash advances).”
But barangay treasurer Mendoza recalled that Ouano made withdrawals this year from the barangay funds for the salaries of the councilors and other officers.
Mendoza and Ouano are the respondents of the complaint the councilors filed. But Mendoza said all the checks and cash go to their barangay captain.
He already submitted his notice of retirement last July 16, 2007 but is ready to cooperate if he will be called to an investigation. (OCP)
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