Liga execs to probe unaccounted P31-M fund
Ilonggo officials of the Liga ng mga Barangay (Liga) vowed to help in the investigation to be conducted by the present Liga leadership on the financial expenses incurred by the league's previous president.
Iloilo City Liga president Irene Ong, auditor of the Liga national, and Iloilo provincial Liga president Jeneda Salcedo, vice president for the Visayas, expressed full support to the move of current national Liga President Rico Judge Janver Echeverri to investigate the alleged financial irregularities incurred during the time of former president James Marty Lim.
Echeverri said they will hire independent auditors and utilize some of its members in the conduct of the investigation.
It was reported that under Lim's term, the league has collected some P31 million. Present members of the league are questioning on how the fund was spent. There was no formal turn-over of the Liga finances and no report on Barangay Officers Foundation finances especially on its insurance policies paid per barangay official, said Echeverri.
Echeverri was in Iloilo City yesterday as guest speaker of the provincial assembly of barangay officials of Zamboanga Sibugay. He had a courtesy call with Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Apart from the league's financial status, Echeverri is also looking into the non-implementation of basic benefits to barangay officials in the country. These includes death benefits and educational matriculation of the children of elected barangay officials which were not availed of by barangay officials of 42,000 barangays in the country.
The new set of Liga officers, elected last January 29, 2008, is aiming to put their own house in order by looking at the league's fiscal position and review other measures and projects for the benefit of the barangay officials.