‘No unaccounted P193-M Misamis Oriental funds’

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – The provincial government of Misamis Oriental yesterday denied that it has not accounted for some P193 million in public funds based on a 2011 report of the Commission on Audit (COA).

“To set the record straight, it is not true that the province had not accounted for P193 million in public funds,” the office of Gov. Oscar Moreno said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.

COA, according to the statement, took note that the provincial accountant’s office was delayed in submitting the collection and disbursements totaling more than P170,000 for October to December 2011.

Moreno’s office said, “This is not the same as the statement that the Capitol still failed to account for some P193 million.”

It said the provincial accountant’s office submitted to COA the October-December 2011 collection and disbursement vouchers in February 2012, long before the annual audit report came out.

“The finding called for measures to ensure the timely submission of vouchers and collection reports which the province addressed through the adoption of a computerized bookkeeping system. Currently, this finding has already been addressed and settled,” the governor’s office said.

It also denied that it has unliquidated cash advances, saying it has been diligent in complying with COA’s regulations on cash advances.

The governor’s office also clarified that 18 of the 27 names mentioned in the report had liquidated their cash advances “as evidenced by a certification from the provincial accountant, four pertained to the cash advances drawn by officers of the previous administration and five are in the process of liquidation.”

“The issue on unliquidated cash advances is an old issue already addressed and remedied by the provincial government,” it said.