2012 report for Talisay 32 COA recommendations but only two were applied

CEBU, Philippines - Out of the recommendations from 32 lapses that the Commission on Audit noted in 2012, Talisay City only managed to fully implement two recommendations.

The city "partially complied" with 15 but failed to implement 15 other recommendations.

In a 2013 recent annual audit report, the COA said the city made no action over the release of  P5,866,930 in various transactions that involved falsified canvass documents for the repair of City-owned vehicles and heavy equipment were forged.

The transactions were made during the time of then mayor and now City Councilor Socrates Fernandez.

The state auditors found the disbursements worth P5.8 million to be "prejudicial to the interest of the government" and are "deemed unlawful and punishable under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code and Section 3 (e and g) of  the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act," read the report prepared by state auditor Maria Daisy Bercede.

The COA already recommended that the Talisay City government should conduct an impartial investigation and institute appropriate sanctions against personnel responsible for the disbursements.

It recommended that persons responsible be required to refund the disallowed disbursements.

But COA said that until the present date, the city has not taken move against their recommendation and it added that the cost of the repair has already gone up to P7-million from January to June 2013.

The state auditor also found out that in 2012, the P6.438-million was illegally disbursed in granting cash incentives to 1,231 job order employees.

The present administration of Mayor Johnny De los Reyes already stopped the practice but the COA said the amount paid to job order workers was not yet refunded.

The city government explained that it would be hard for them to collect the refund because the contracts of some job orders were no longer renewed.

Also, the COA said the collections of various school fees at Talisay City College during the previous administration of then president Tomas Ramos in the amount of P10,553,270 was not yet been acted upon.

COA also found out that aside from the collection of various school fees, TCC has been making disbursements out of the collections without the approval from the Board of Trustees. 

Also, the COA said the city has complied with its recommendation when the services of then college president Tomas Ramos were terminated sometime in June 2013.

While serving as city college president, Ramos also served as president of the Lapu-Lapu City college, which COA said was illegal.

 The COA was likewise satisfied with the action made by the city government when the city accountant and city department heads will no longer process its daily wage claims and honorarium of job orders without individual accomplishment reports duly verified by their respective head of office where they are assigned and reporting for duty.

Meanwhile, these are the partially implemented recommendations by the city — the 30-missing service contract of non-teaching personnel at the Talisay City College including the stopping of processing claims without complete supporting documents;

Demand letters sent out to some non- government organizations for their liquidation report; the proper physical inventory count of plant, properties and equipment; the inventory of accounts of supplies and materials and gradually implemented of lack of personnel at the accounting and GSO;

The review and evaluation of documents for lot acquisition; the refund of wages of personnel was gradually implemented who work at the new Tabunok public market, which was charged to calamity fund; the granting of honoraria to prosecutors and RATA of officials had been stopped but the amount had not been refunded.  (FREEMAN)