COA clarifies its exec did not incur salary disallowance

The Commission on Audit yesterday clarified reports that one of its officials incurred a salary disallowance as reported the other day.

Helen Hilayo, who is currently the Regional Cluster Director of Sub-Cluster 2 (Cebu), Region 7, Local Government Sector was reported to have incurred a salary disallowance of P660,945 for the period of July 2005 to December 2005.

COA officials, however, said that it was not Hilayo who incurred salary disallowances but rather she was the one who issued the notice of disallowances to Mandaue City vice mayor Amadeo Seno and the members of the city council when she was still the city auditor of Mandaue. The amount mentioned was the total amount of salaries that were overpaid to the said officials for the period of January 1998 to December 1998.

COA has issued anew a notice of disallowance to Seno and members of the city council for the overpayment of their salaries and 13th month pay amounting to almost a million.

State auditor IV Melba Macapobre, in her audit observation sent to Seno and members of the city council last March 13, 2006, stated that at least P350,000 has been disallowed in the salaries of the officials while a total of P29,000 was disallowed for their 13th month pay for the period of July 2005 to December 2005.

Macapobre, in her recommendation, told city officials to stop the grant of salaries to elected officials which are over the allowed rates and require the refund of the overpaid salaries; follow strictly the exception mentioned in the review to ensure that the disbursement of funds by the payment of salaries be within the allowable rate.

She added that said officials were paid with their salaries and other benefits based on the rates under Salary Grade 27 Step 8 instead of the allowed rate, which is only Salary Grade 27 Step 1. - Mitchelle P. Calipayan