Monday, May 19, 2008 NGO obeys COA rules, gets P30T aid from Lapu
LAPU-LAPU City has given a nongovernment organization P30,000 in financial assistance.
The City Council granted Mayor Arturo Radaza the authority to give the donation to Kapatiran Project, which is accredited by Mala-cañang’s National Poverty Commission, on condition that the organization follows the Commission on Audit’s (COA) strict liquidation procedure.
The Kapatiran Project helps poor families in the city cope with their daily needs by offering them livelihood projects.
Moved
“I don’t have an objection as long as the group abides by COA rules,” finance committee chairman Councilor Damian Gomez said when Radaza’s request for authority was moved for approval.
The City already spent P1.3 million on its Limited Medical Assistance Program, but there is no summary report on the expenses or a list of the beneficiaries.
‘Verified’
The amount was deposited in staggered basis to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City to defray hospitalization and medication expenses of “verified” poor Lapu-Lapu residents.
The first deposit of P500,000 covered the months of August and September last year. A deposit of P300,000 was made in December and another P500,000 was deposited last April.
Majority Leader Cornelio Pahang said the City Council approved the requests for the deposits under the presumption that the previous amount deposited had been used up.
“We don’t have a way of knowing the expenses because it is the social welfare office and the mayor’s office that determine the recipients of the program,” he said.
The Kapatiran Project has been conducting an anti-poverty campaign in Lapu-Lapu for over three years now.
Gomez said the goal and thrust of the group is laudable but to avoid legal implications, the group must submit to the City a liquidation report on the financial assistance. (AIV)
