More bonuses paid by MCIAA

CEBU, Philippines - The Commission on Audit (COA) described as highly illegal the granting by the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority of at least P118,2000 to each of the 10 members of the MCIAA board as collective negotiation agreement bonus.

Senior state auditor Anecita Pilapil, tasked to supervise the audit of financial transactions of the airport, claimed that except for airport general manager Danilo Augusto Francia, who received P144,736.44 CNA bonus, other members of the board are not entitled to such benefit.

The MCIAA board has 11 members, including Francia.

Pilapil said unlike Francia, the 10 other members of the board are not organic personnel of the airport and should not be entitled to the CNA bonus, which was given last month.

These 10 board members are representatives from government agencies and the private sector.

The CNA is equivalent to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in the private sector.

Documents obtained by THE FREEMAN showed that the MCIAA had released P1,182,000 CNA bonus to 10 members of the MCIAA board through Cash Voucher dated June 28, 2010.

Francia’s CNA bonus amounting to P144,736 was released through a separate cash voucher. Although his bonus was legal, it was prepared on the same date.

The members of the 11-man board, previously chaired by then Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Secretary Leandro Mendoza, rated their performance as very satisfactory in availing themselves of the bonus, which is equivalent to three months salary plus P30,000.

The airport’s rank and file employees are being rated by their supervisors while the supervisors are being rated by the division managers.

The division managers are being rated by department managers while the department managers are being rated by the general manager.

Every member of the board is being rated by the entire board.

Those granted with P118,200 CNA bonus are Mendoza, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Civil Aviation Authority director general Ruben Ciron, Justice Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, Department of Finance director Ma. Lourdes Dedal, private sector representatives Valeriano Avila, Renato Osmeña, Gordon Allan Joseph, Winglip Chang and former tourism regional director Patria Auroa Roa.

Aside from the CNA bonus, the board had also granted Roa P500,000 severance pay, whose legality is now being investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Roa is reportedly willing to return the money if the Ombudsman found out that the giving of the severance was illegal.

The MCIAA board also granted severance pay to former DOTC Undersecretary Carina Valera in 2003 but COA disallowed such benefit and ordered its refund.

But the MCIAA officials refused to comply with the COA’s order.

They brought up the issue to the Supreme Court, claiming that the MCIAA charter allowed the granting of retirement benefits to its personnel, including members of the board.

Another document obtained by The FREEMAN showed that MCIAA also spent P100,000 (P75,000 intelligence funds and P25,000 extra ordinary allowance that was granted to Francia last month) through Cash Voucher dated June 22, 2010.

COA said the release of the intelligence funds needs the approval of the Office of the President.

An airport employee said: “The release of the P100,000 intelligence funds is anomalous because the same had been previously disallowed by COA during the time of former airport manager Benito Diamos. That time P50,000 raman gani to. Karon sa time ni Francia, gibalik nasab niya gipadak-an pa g’yud.”

Pilapil said MCIAA is still governed by the COA rules contrary to the claim of Francia that they are only complying with the provisions of its charter.

However, the board claimed that the giving of benefits to its members is legal.

Francia said the board members are officers of the MCIAA because they are part of the management.

“They are part of management, as officers. So they entitled (to such benefits). Also the Charter is clear on this. The power of the Board is there,” Francia said

Joseph also supported Francia’s statement.

“Let them questioned it because we will also stand to our arguments that under the MCIAA Charter we are entitled to such benefits,” he.

Meanwhile, Francia and airport lawyers Glen Napuli and Allan Talisaysay appeared before Assistant Ombudsman Virginia Palanca-Santiago for a conference yesterday morning on the controversy surrounding Roa’s severance pay.

Following the meeting, the three refused to say anything to reporters about what was being discussed.

Santiago also refused to say anything but assured the media that the Ombudsman has been doing something about the issue. — /LPM (THE FREEMAN)