City accounting system still not COA-compliant

Cebu City government is paying fines to the Commission on Audit for its failure to immediately implement the Electronic New Government Accounting System that prompted the City Council to task the new head of the City Hall's computer management services to help solve the problem.

William Artajo, the newly-appointed chief of the City Hall's Management Information and Computer Services, appeared before the City Council last Wednesday after he was summoned by the councilors for him to announce his programs.

The e-NGAS system was designed and prescribed by the COA to modernize the financial management information system of all government agencies, giving way to enhanced decision-making, accountability and transparency in government transactions.

COA implemented in 2002 the new procedure to fully implement a new government accounting information system that ensures correctness, reliability, completeness, and timeliness in recording government financial transactions and generating financial reports.

But there are still many local government units that failed to comply with the new audit and accounting procedures.

The new procedures also provides a uniform guidelines and procedures in accounting for government funds and property, new coding structure and new chart of accounts and new accounting book, reports, forms, financial statements and accounting entries.

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera urged Artajo to speed up the completion of the programs for the effective implementation of e-NGAS, otherwise the city would continue of paying fines to the COA.

She would not say how much the city has paid COA in fines.

One of Artajo's staff later said: "Dali ra unta na kon gipadala pa mi nila og training aron makat-onan namo ang bag-ong procedures."

Artajo explained that his personnel still need training about the procedures of the new government accounting and auditing manual and he is now evaluating their respective performance to put the right personnel to the right assignment.

The MICS department is composed of personnel with backgrounds in computer courses, such as programmers, technicians and others. MICS maintains the city government's official website www.cebucity.gov.ph. - Rene U. Borromeo