ON DEBTS TO FUNERAL PARLORS: City accountant: Delay is in the barangay level

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Accountant Arlene Rentuza yesterday clarified that all transactions for the burial assistance program of the city government are done in the barangay level and the delay in the release of funds for payment of the service of partner funeral homes is due to the slow action of the barangays in accomplishing the requirements.

This is in response to the statement of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña published in a local daily where he was quoted as saying, “the city accountant is sitting on a lot of these things.”

His reaction also followed after four funeral homes complained to him regarding the failure of the city to pay the over P4 million bill the city owed to these funeral homes as payment for services.   But this does not bother Rentuza at all.

“I do not take it against him. Ako, personally, nakasabot na especially to those who do not know the intricacies of our job,” she said.

In their record so far, only cluster II headed by barangay Tisa, was able to submit the disbursement voucher amounting to P460, 300 to the city accountant’s office last April 14, out of the six clusters of barangays formed by the city.

The disbursement voucher with attached supporting documents must be submitted to the city accountant for validation before an accountant’s advise will be issued.

Supporting documents include the original death certificate, documents to qualify under paragraph no. 4 of the MOA which requires that the deceased must be a registered voter of the barangay, endorsement from the barangay chairman of city elected officials, certification of services rendered from the contracted funeral parlor operating within Cebu City with a valid business permit and payroll and disbursement vouchers for the cash assistance extended.

Rentuza said that the accountant’s advises for the first batch of payments were already released and this time, they are awaiting only for the second batch which already had an allocation in the Supplemental budget no. 3 approved by the council on February this year.

She agreed to what Osmeña said that there is no problem in the funding because it has an allocation in the budget of the city for this year, but problems arise when the barangays, the barangay treasurers specifically, fail to prepare immediately the disbursement voucher.

Other factors that cause delay in the issuance of the accountant’s advise are the deficiencies in the supporting documents.  (FREEMAN NEWS)