COA orders worker to refund salary

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Audit has ordered a contractual employee of a government-owned and controlled corporation to refund the state more than P100,000 he received for rendering services to the office of a Caloocan lawmaker, instead of to the GOCC.

The COA said Benjamin Lagatic was hired in 2011 by the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC), a state-owned firm under the Department of Labor and Employment, to perform legislative liaison services at the Senate and Congress.

However, instead of reporting to the OSHC, the COA said Lagatic worked for the office of Caloocan Rep. Oscar Malapitan, although it was the GOCC that was paying for his salaries.

Because Lagatic’s wages were taken from the GOCC’s janitorial services budget, the COA said the disbursements were irregular, and had no approved funding.”

“We recommended that Management (OSHC) cause the refund by Mr. Lagatic the amount of P108,286.98 and henceforth, Management refrain from entering into a contract of services of the same nature,” the state auditors said apparently making the worker suffer the penalty even though he was merely following orders and complying with his assignment.

The OSHC told the audit team that the hiring of Lagatic was necessary and not irregular as he was hired to perform liaison services as requested by Malapitan, one of the vice chairpersons of the House committee on appropriations assigned for DOLE.

The OSHC explained that Malapitan handles the DOLE’s budget and represents the office during budget hearings and deliberations in Congress, and that the DOLE acceded to his request for the hiring of personnel in his office to perform liaison works, coordination and monitoring of the programs and projects of DOLE at and its attached agencies, including OSHC.

Five months ago, the COA also questioned the Employees Compensation Commission (ECC), also a state-owned firm, for paying for the salary of another Malapitan’s aide last year whose job involved putting up streamers and posters and painting the lawmaker’s name in walls.

The unnamed “janitor” received a total of P119,058 in wages from a state-owned institution although he was working for the lawmaker.

The COA said the ECC and Malapitan’s office “have no operational linkage, hence, there is no basis for ECC to enter into such contract with DOLE in hiring job order personnel for the Office of the Congressman, and spend its financial resources for the latter.”