Thursday, October 16, 2008 Agencies unite to campaign against waste of gov’t. fuel, cars for private trips
OFFICIALS and employees who use government vehicles for personal gain are costing taxpayers millions of pesos in fuel expenses, said Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Sergio S. Apostol.
He made the statement during the local launch yesterday of Oplan Red Plate, a campaign the anti-graft office is conducting with the police and four other government agencies.
“This is not a laughing matter that we can dispense with. The society demands immediate action,” said Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni.
Since the campaign started in 2006, at least 15 public officials have been suspended or dismissed from agencies like the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Commission on Audit (COA) and local governments, he said.
Jalandoni described the unauthorized use of government vehicles as a blatant and glaring form of corruption, done in full view of the people.
Aside from the fuel, government funds were also wasted on the maintenance of these vehicles used for unauthorized purposes.
Assistant Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago said people aren’t too vigilant against the misuse of public vehicles as a mode of corruption.
“If we think about it, the government has already lost millions of pesos especially that fuel prices are high,” Santiago said.
She added the ombudsman already suspended a COA auditor for six months for using a government vehicle to attend a wedding, while a government lawyer was reprimanded for using a government-issued vehicle in attending mass at Guadalupe Parish Church.
Director Carla Narvios-Tanco of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas said yesterday’s launching of Operation Red Plate “touches base upon their role as public
servants” who must be responsible stewards of government resources.
To implement Oplan Red Plate, the anti-graft office signed a memorandum of agreement with other government agencies such as the Philippine National Police, represented by Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos; the Civil Service Commission, represented by legal officer Ariel Bacatan; COA, represented by Nilo Pala; Land Transportation Office, represented by Assistant Regional Director Edgar Catarongan; and the Philippine Information Agency, represented by Bob Cabardo.
Roderos, director of the Police Regional Office, expressed full support for the campaign against the illegal use of government vehicles. Any police officer caught using a police patrol car for personal purposes will be ordered to explain in 24 hours, he said.
The illegal use of government vehicles is by no means a new problem. As far back as 1982, the COA told all government agencies to use their vehicles only for official business, “in the face of uncertainties of the continuing world oil supplies.” (EOB)
