Talisay ‘paid’ P17M despite lacking docs

CEBU, Philippines -  Over P17 million worth of infrastructure projects charged against the development fund of Talisay City were not supported with necessary documentations. 

This prompted the Commission on Audit to direct the City Accounting and Treasurer Offices to review the disbursement of P17,042,963.69 last year and support it with documents. 

According to COA review of the perfected contracts on five infrastructure projects, the city paid the contractors even if the transactions were not supported with complete documentation. 

This cast a “doubt” on the validity, propriety and legality of the transactions, it added.

The city disbursed funds amounting to P5,025,600 for riprapping/slope protection/declogging and dredging and rehabilitation of seawall in Sitio Litmon, Barangay Dumlog; the construction of seawall in Sitio Kalubihan, Barangay Poblacion, P2,954,132; the rehabilitation of local roads and asphalt overlay in Barangay San Isidro, P4,959,899; the rehabilitation of evacuation center and repair of sports complex in Barangay Pooc, P2,103,450.80; and the restoration of Gabaldon Building/Museum Phase 2 at Talisay Central School, P1,999,881.89. 

“Copies of documents containing the detailed breakdown of the contract cost, including the detailed breakdown of estimates/unit cost analysis, were not attached for proper validation of the projects and whether or not work accomplishment conformed with the approved plans and program of work,” the COA report read. 

OVERPAYMENT

Meanwhile, the city government overpaid P396,550.34 to the completed construction of the slope protection Pond A, Phase 2 project at the sanitary landfill in Barangay Tapul.

Because of this, COA directed the city to demand Gleymark Construction to return the excess payment to the former. COA discovered that the notice to proceed was issued to the contractor on March 25, 2013. As of April 29, 2013, the project was 100 percent completed per statement of the work accomplishment signed by the city engineering, planning and office of the mayor. 

The contractor collected the full contract amount on May 2, 2013, net of tax, amounting to P181,250. The transaction happened during the incumbency of then mayor Socrates Fernandez. 

But in the evaluation report of the technical audit specialist of COA Regional Office on the technical engineering aspects, the contract amount was P2.9 million, which was found to be 27.42 percent above COA cost evaluation. 

Mayor Johnny De los Reyes promised to review the cost, saying the project was undertaken during the previous administration.  (FREEMAN)