VSMMC told: Liquidate financial aid from city

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council has asked the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) administration to liquidate the financial assistance it received from the city government.

Councilor Joey Daluz III, chairman of the council committee on budget and finance, yesterday said there is a need for the city to determine how the financial assistance was spent. 

The Office of the Cebu City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicine Program (CHAMP) has been receiving requests for hospitalization at the VSMMC, which charges the bill to the account of the city government.

However, the hospital administration cannot accept those requests, saying there was no financial assistance that it receives from the city.

Daluz said the city had already appropriated P3-million financial assistance to the hospital. 

But Teresita Decina, administration assistant II of the city accountingdepartment, said the amount cannot be released because the hospital has stillunliquidated amount totaling to P8.6 million from 2004 to 2007.

Part of the amount covers assistance for the city health program. 

“Our records show that they still have an outstanding balance of P8.6 million,” Decina told The FREEMAN. 

Before any funds are released for the hospital, Decina said the administration must immediately submit their liquidation report in order for them to check exactly how much funds had been spent. 

In February 2007, Maricon Esparagoza, the chief administrative officer of VSMMC, said they are not yet through with the preparation of supporting documents because the amount was still needed to be consolidated. 

In his letter to the city accounting department dated October 27, 2010, Gerardo Aquino, VSMMC chief medical officer, reported that they have already submitted their liquidation report. 

“Miingon sila nga mi-submit na sila pero asa man nila gi-submit? Nganong wala man mi kopya?” said Decina, who is in-charge of all documents concerning the financial assistance given by the city government to the non-government organizations, the city hall department office and among others. 

Decina already told VSMMC administration that they will move for the release of the P3million financial assistance but they received no feedback from the hospital. 

“Much as we wanted to release the P3 million kay magamit ni para sa hospital pero miingon man gyud ang COA nga dili pwede,” Decina said.

Daluz said that he would ask the city accounting department to submit their formal report on the matter. —(FREEMAN)