CEBU - The Commission on Audit said Tudela town has to recover two mobile phones that were issued to one of its former councilors but were allegedly not returned to the municipal government even after the official’s term ended last year.
COA has ordered the town’s treasurer to heed the directive of the mayor to send a demand letter to former councilor Leo Gorgonio for the latter to return the two mobile phones issued to him early last year.
After an audit on the town’s operations last year, COA discovered that per Acknowledgment Receipts for Equipment, two cellular phones amounting to P35,000 have been issued to Gorgonio but the latter reportedly failed to turn the phones over to the town’s property custodian when his term ended May last year.
The property custodian reportedly told COA that Gorgonio did not return the phones “nor appeared to obtain the required clearance from money and property accountability.”
The two phones were reportedly purchased last January 29, 2007 and April 4, 2007 respectively.
COA said keeping government property violates Presidential Decree 1445 or the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines.— Joy Kareen T. Saliente/JMO