COA asked to suspend electronic accounting system

The Regional Development Council adopted the motion of Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia asking the Commission on Audit to temporarily suspend the implementation of the electronic-National Government Accounting System over some unresolved issues.

Garcia said that although Cebu province had started implementing the system, its maintenance proved to be very costly, adding local government units need to study it further.

She cited the experience of the province that for the personnel training alone, the provincial government spends over P70,000 per month.

COA has developed a computerized version of the NGAS and prescribed its adoption by all national and local corporate government agencies to enhance uniformity in the application of government accounting rules, and facilitate the consolidation of financial reports.

The system requires software installation in the e-NGAS that includes the use of Windows 2000 server of higher, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Standard Edition, and Windows 2000 Professional.

But in a resolution, the RDC said that to operate the e-NGAS, government agencies and LGUs will be forced to specify the brand name of the software to be procured, which will violate the Republic Act 9184 that prohibits government agencies from referring to brand names in the procurement of information and communication technology goods.

To purchase the software, the council also said that government agencies and LGUs would have to spend about P500,000. It added that the use of free open source software like Linux could help promote e-governance amidst spiraling costs of ICT goods and ballooning budget deficit.

With this, the RDC said the Commission of Information and Communications Technology needs to review the e-NGAS system requirement.

Likewise, regional planners asked COA to allow the use by government agencies of e-NGAS compatible software as an alternative to the existing e-NGAS accounting software because it is cheaper.

Garcia said the RDC should also request for a status quo before COA decides to fully implement the project and before the new accounting system is accepted.

She also recommended that the RDC provide copies of its resolution on the e-NGAS to other regions that are also discussing the same issue. - Wenna A. Berondo