Pharmacy threatens to sue City

CEBU, Philippines - The owner of Pro-Poor Pharmacy which dispensed P9 million worth of medicine to the Cebu City indigents threatened to sue the city government for its failure to pay its obligations.

Myra Rentuza, owner of Pro-Poor and Pro-Inay Pharmacy who partnered with the City Government in its City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program, said suing the city will be their last resort as one of her suppliers already threatened to sue her company for estafa.

She said she will consult her lawyer on which possible charges they may file against the city. A city hall lawyer said the owner may file for complaint for Collection of Sum of Money.

Yesterday, she ordered the suspension of the service to Pro-Poor Pharmacy and Pro-Inay until the city pays them.

The City Government owes Pro-Poor P9 million for the medicines it dispensed since October last year.

But P2.1 million of the amount was questioned by the Commission on Audit for lack of proper documentations and other observations which it indicated in its recent audit report.

Rentuza said it is the City’s obligation to resolve the issues with COA because they have done their part of the bargain when they dispensed the medicines to the beneficiaries of CHAMP and even the beneficiaries of the previous City Assistance for Medicines Program (CAMP).

COA questioned the P2 million worth of dispensed medicines because the Department of Social Welfare and Services failed to attach the prescriptions and the Memorandum of Agreement with Pro-Poor.

But Rentuza insisted that they signed a MOA with the city government.

On the documentations attached in the voucher, COA also found some medicines recorded were of the same kind but with different prices. The beneficiaries, COA said, were also not properly identified because of incomplete addresses.

Apart from the P2 million payment suspended by COA, the rest of the P7 million were also pending at the accounting’s office because of lack of some requirements submitted by DSWS.

City Accountant Marietta Gumia said they could not release the vouchers because there were requirements lacking like the prescriptions and the sworn affidavit of no insurance of beneficiaries.

Gumia said these were required in the guidelines issued by the mayor in the Executive Order which created CHAMP.

“We looked for these requirements because it was found in the guidelines. Since there were missing documents, we suspended the vouchers,” Gumia said.

The P7 million worth of disbursement vouchers did not have to undergo pre-audit at the COA because the vouchers did not amount to millions.

Gumia said they are awaiting the requirements so she could sign the bank’s advice for the release of the payment.

Councilor Jose Daluz III said that Rentuza and her husband, St. Bernard Mayor Rico Rentuza, went to his office last Monday and informed them that if the city will not pay them soon enough, they might file charges in court. – (FREEMAN)