COA uncovers multi-million irregularities in Btac. Viejo
State Auditors find P3.2M excessive ‘extra cash gift,’ over P6.5M in irregular cash advances
Latest government audit in the Municipality of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo now disclosed questionable and questioned dealings amounting to millions of pesos.
The number one finding as conducted and questioned by the Commission On Audit (COA) was the over P3.2 million in “extra cash gift” granted to town’s officials and employees.
The COA discovered that the disbursement was contrary to law after validation made confirmed that the town exceeded allowable expenses for its personal services.
Finding number two was worse with over P6.5 million in illegal and irregular grant of cash advances broken down as P3,503,071.26 taken from the payroll and P3,017,915.10 for travel and “other purposes.”
“We recommend that the Municipal Mayor require the municipal officials and employees to liquidate cash advances within the reglementary period and no additional cash advances shall be allowed unless the previous ones have been liquidated or a proper accounting thereof has been made,” excerpts of the 2009 COA report went.
Finding number three was on the town’s supplies and property valued P5,614,861.17. COA said the validity, existence and correctness of such “could not be ascertained” due to the failure of the town to reconcile its own records.
Meantime, frequent purchases of spare parts amounting to 470,010.00 were also questioned by COA for lack of corresponding “repairs and maintenance program..”
The News Today (TNT) in a follow-up learned that all said purchases of auto spare parts were made at the JSU Auto Supply.
From the P8,650 tire to spare parts of the town’s fire trucks valued at P25,950, COA wants Mayor Raul Tupas to at least come up with a repair and maintenance program.
COA also had this to say to the mayor, “Prioritize the conduct of inventory of all municipal vehicles and verify their actual condition. If they can no longer be repaired or reconditioned or whose maintenance costs of repair outweigh the benefits and services that will be derived from their continued use, they should immediately and properly disposed to avoid unnecessary purchase of spare parts.”