Case of lost laptop settled – Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma said yesterday the case of the lost laptop and teleprompter accessories had been settled by his office and the employee involved had been told to pay for the items amounting to over P300,000.

Coloma was reacting to a report by the COA asking the Radio-TV Malacañang of the Presidential Broadcast Staff which is under his office to pay for the items.

“This is a settled case,” he said in a text message to The STAR, adding that the RTVM had conducted an investigation and sent its findings to the COA.

The COA wanted the lost equipment, amounting to P344, 599,  “deducted” from the employee’s salary.

“RTVM is ready to implement this thru salary deduction. They are only waiting for the COA’s decision if they will base the cost on acquisition price or book value,” he said, noting that the laptop and a teleprompter accessory was acquired in 2008 at P337, 000.

However, its book value was P70,000 when it was reported lost in an out-of-town RTVM coverage in June 2012, he said.

Coloma said efforts to locate the missing items were undertaken by an employee and a request for relief of accountability was submitted to the COA but was denied because of the absence of a police report and the negligence of the employee.

The laptop and teleprompting accessories were issued to a teleprompter operator with an acknowledgement receipt of equipment in April 2011.

In December that year, the employee filed maternity leave and another employee borrowed the equipment from her.

There was no actual property turnover of the equipment before the employee filed a temporary leave of absence, the COA reported.

Records showed that the employee left the equipment in a bag near her table at the office a day before the President’s out-of-town activity in June 2012.

The bag could no longer be found the next day but the incident was not reported to the guard on duty.