Monday, September 10, 2007 P3M gun work triggers query By Allan I. Varquez Sun.Star Staff Reporter
LAPU-LAPU City “misappropriated” P3.4 million by allotting it for the repair and conversion of 50 Armalite rifles it does not own, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
The appropriation ordinance the City Council approved last year stated that the firearms, to be converted into M4 Carbines, were to be donated by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 to the city police force.
But the donation has not taken place.
“Hence, the taking up of the asset is without any basis whatsoever because the ownership over the said firearms is still retained by PNP Regional Office 7,” the COA said in its audit of Lapu-Lapu’s 2006 transactions.
But the procedural defects aside, City Police Chief Louie Oppus said all 50 refurbished firearms greatly increased his command’s efficiency.
With its growing responsibility amid an increasing population, and with Lapu-Lapu a newly-declared highly urbanized city, its police force needs manpower and firearms, he said.
Oppus said he will stick to his job and leave the discussion for the PRO 7 to donate the guns to his superiors and the city officials.
For his part, City Police Deputy Chief Florentino Clemente said the Regional Command requested to get back 20 of the guns after they were converted, but they objected because Lapu-Lapu police lacked firepower.
Agreement
“I understand that there is a memorandum of agreement that the City prepared for it to legally own the guns,” he said in a telephone interview.
The City Government spent P3,437,500 to convert the firearms.
The COA said that though the amount was charged to the City’s share of funds from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., it was erroneously recorded under City Hall’s military and police equipment and government equity account, despite the lack of donation.
State auditors said that resulted to the overstatement of the account, which should only reflect the cost or appraised value of purchased or donated equipment.
They asked the city accountant to prepare a separate journal entry voucher for the recording of assets not owned by the City.
