COA orders barangay honoraria withheld

CEBU, Philippines - All barangays officials of the 80 barangays in Cebu City will not be receiving their monthly honoraria next month if they cannot comply with the recommendation of the Commission on Audit requiring them to submit their financial statements.

Agnes Tabares, the city’s accounting financial control division chief, yesterday said the COA discovered that the barangays of the city have not completely submitted the attached vouchers and financial reports necessary for the conduct of an audit since 2007.

“Tinuod naay mga barangays nga mo-disburse sa ilang check even without attachment,” Tabares said, adding that she already send a notice to all 80 barangays to comply the recommendation of the COA.

COA auditor Eva Cabrera, in a separate interview, yesterday confirmed that she wrote a letter to city accountant Arlene Retuz, asking that the honoraria of the barangay officials, particularly the barangay captains and treasurers, be withheld because they failed to submit the 2007, 2008, and 2009 financial reports.

Cabrera said their office cannot determine “the propriety, validity, authenticity and legality” of the barangays transactions for lack of supporting documents.

“We recommend that the salaries of the barangay officials concerned, more specifically the barangay captains and treasurers, be withheld until they shall have submitted the vouchers and financial reports we have been demanding,” Cabrera said in her letter.

Cabrera reminded the barangays especially the treasurers that all copies and documents pertaining to the financial transactions entrusted to them shall be immediately submitted to city accountant so that these will be recorded in the General Journal through General Entry Voucher.

With the recommendation of COA, Tabares said that it is most likely that not only the honoraria of barangay captains and treasurers will be affected but the entire barangay council.

“Posible nga dili pud maapil ang tibuok barangay officials kay ang signatories sa check ang kapitan ug treasurer man.Apektado gyud ang tanan,” Tabares added.

Tabares, however, blamed some barangay treasurers for the late submission of supporting documents and vouchers of each financial transaction.

A barangay treasurer, who refused to be identified, said they were already informed by the accounting office to comply with the requirements asked by the COA.

“Doubletime gyud mi ani kay kun dili namo ma-comply, mipasidaan naman daan ang accounting nga i-suspend gyud nila ang releasing sa mga honorarium sa mga officials,” she said.

Meanwhile, Cabrera also asked for clarification before the city accounting office why the travel claims for a four-day training seminar in Boracay of some 30 barangay officials, including the Sangguniang Kabataan, were processed despite the absence of pertinent documents.

While the document of SK travel to Boracay has not yet reached her office, Cabrera was curious as to why the seminar has to be done outside Cebu City.

Critics have said the travel is extravagant since they will be spending P15,000 from the barangay coffers when they can only spend more or less P5,000 if the seminar will be done in Cebu.

“We cannot say nga dili allowed, categorically kay transaction sa barangay dili man na subject for pre-audit,” Cabrera said.

SK Federation president Rengelle Pelayo said they were invited by Marywoods Training Center to attend the seminar at La Carmela de Boracay Resort Hotel from August 28 to 31.

Pelayo pointed out that the organizer, not the SK officials, initiated the training and chose the venue. (THE FREEMAN)