COA probes graft plaint vs. Asturias barangay officials

The Commission on Audit is already looking into the allegations that the barangay captain of Langub, Asturias, and her treasurer are involved in graft and corruption as claimed by an anonymous complainant who reported the matter before the Visayas Ombudsman.

COA-7 regional cluster director Helen Hilayo has already ordered the audit team leader of Asturias to conduct an audit of all the transactions of barangay Langub, parti-cularly the reconstruction of its barangay hall that was reportedly funded by the municipal government.

It was assistant Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago who wrote a letter add-ressed to COA Visayas cluster director Delfin Aguilar asking him to ve-rify the reported irregula-rities involving the cons-truction of the Langub Barangay Hall.

The complainant alleged that the barangay hall was not completed even if it was totally fun-ded by the municipal go-vernment and there were speculations that barangay captain Angelina Japitan and treasurer Pacey Dondoy pocketed the budget.

According to the complainant, the reconstruction of the barangay hall did not pass the pre-bidding requirement as provided for by the state audit procedures for any government-funded projects.

Langub barangay councilman Winefredo Rosauit is also accused of utilizing the barangay multicab for personal use such as in hauling sand and gravel for his lot. In fact, the vehicle is parked in his lot instead of at the barangay hall, the complainant said.

Another vehicle of the barangay was also reportedly used for the sending and fetching of the barangay officials’ children to and from their school everyday without trip tickets.

Further, Rosauit is accused of illegally tapping electric power from the barangay hall to his house.

“Magandang buhay; may sahod na may libreng kuryente pa,” the complainant said in his letter-complaint. — Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV