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Wednesday, September 14, 2005
6 Cebu towns ignore audit office's advice
By Jeanette P. Malinao
CEBU CITY -- The Commission on Audit (COA) has been warning local governments against the buildup of unliquidated cash advances, but the admonition given over the years remains unheeded by some town officials.
After reviewing the operations of Cebu's local governments for 2004, COA again found itself reminding six towns to follow the rules in releasing cash advances.
Naga, Consolacion, Alegria, Poro, Ginatilan and Malabuyoc were all found to have not followed an efficient system of control over the grant of cash advances.
A COA circular provides that unused cash advances must be returned immediately, and that all must be fully liquidated at the end of the year.
But as of Dec. 31, 2004, Naga had P3,555,472 of this; Consolacion, P1,239,810; Alegria, P860,784; Poro, P703,509; Ginatilan, P220,992; and Malabuyoc, P98,107.
Most of the towns granted new cash advances to persons who still had to liquidate previous ones, a recurring problem.
Among the audit reports, a remedy available for the chief executive was mentioned: withhold salaries of officials and employees involved.
Auditors scored Naga's "laxity" in granting cash advances when previous ones had not yet been liquidated.
Naga was already told, after a review of its operations in 2003, to provide a system of control over the use of cash advances, to "safeguard government funds from loss or misappropriation."
As for Consolacion, government auditors said the municipality is "tolerating negligence of persons" who fail to liquidate within the prescribed 30-day period.
Auditors of Alegria, for their part, noted that almost all of the concerned officers and workers acted immediately on the recommendation contained in a demand letter sent to them.
Most of the cash advances for Alegria in 2004 was liquidated early this year already.
Still, COA told town officials to withhold the salaries of officials and workers who failed to comply. The same advice was given to Malabuyoc and Ginatilan.
The amount for Poro, meanwhile, includes shortages of two accountable officers who have since died, so COA doubts if it is still possible to recover the P407,790.
COA advised Poro officials to ask for authority to write off the amount from the books, and impose sanctions on persons involved with the rest of the amount. (Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(September 14, 2005 issue)
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