Capitol to cover faces on notebook giveaways

CEBU, Philippines - Acting Governor Agnes Magpale said that the school supplies will be given to the local government units who will then provide the covers, but she has yet to talk to the local chief executives about this.

According to a report from the Commission on Audit, P19 million worth of school supplies have not been distributed yet since last year.

“Maybe that was meant for distribution during election,” Magpale said.

When Magpale assumed office last December, she assured that the school supplies will be distributed before the opening of classes next month.

There was a suggestion to remove the covers of school supplies that have the images of Capitol officials before these are distributed.

In the same report, COA also noted that the school kits have names and images of elective officials of the Provincial Government.

This is in violation of the memorandum circular of the Department of interior and Local Government that strictly prohibits the printing of names and images of government officials in properties and projects of the government.

Some of notebooks show the image of the suspended governor Garcia with schoolchildren in the front cover while the back cover shows all the rest of the provincial officials, including the late vice governor Greg Sanchez. Magpale, who was still a Provincial Board member in 2011, was also included.

The COA report stated, “the procurement was in violation of the DILG memorandum circular no 2010-101 dated September 23, 2010 and COA Circular no 2012-003, hence there is a probability that the school items cannot be distributed at all causing pecuniary loss to the government.”

Another suggestion was to cover the images with the provincial seal but these were too big to cover.

It was also mentioned in the COA report that unless the names and images printed on the kits are removed, it cannot be distributed.

It stated though that “the removal of whatever signages would already mean loss on the part of the Provincial Government because it is presumed that printing had been included in the costing by the supplier of the items procured.”

COA recommended that the provincial government must find a way to make “best use” of the items as well as submit justification for the purchase of the items.   (FREEMAN)