Unliquidated cash advances COA: Withhold honorarium for brgy officials

CEBU, Philippines - After the Commission on Audit (COA) asked the City Accounting to withhold the honorarium of barangay officials who fail to submit their financial statements and documents for the year 2007 to 2009, this time the agency wants to withhold the leave credit benefits of all barangay officials who failed to liquidate their cash advances and other statements for the year 2010.

Binaliw Barangay Captain Wilson Bacor is seeking the assistance of Mayor Michael Rama to help him facilitate the release of his leave credit benefits since 2009.

This as the COA informed the City Accounting department to withhold Bacor’s leave credits for his reported failure to liquidate financial assistance from the City Government amounting to P30,000 dated February 3, 2004.

Bacor, however, insisted that he could not recall receiving any financial assistance from the City Government.

“Without malice, I have at several times written to COA office to please present to me the voucher number, check number, bundle number and other information in relation to the financial assistance but efforts were futile,” Bacor said.

Bacor also said that COA could not find a single document on his supposed financial assistance.

“I am requesting Mayor Rama to please help me clear my name of any obligation, specifically of the financial assistance. I have done my best to find tangible evidence of the transaction but nothing has been produced by COA office,” Bacor said.

A check with the accounting office also showed that they could not produce documents on the transaction, except that it was encoded in their computer. Bacor wants the matter settled because the accounting office will again withhold the release of his new leave credit benefits based on the same unliquidated financial assistance.

The COA asked the City Accounting last year to withhold the September honoraria of barangay officials particularly the captains and treasurers pending their submission of the vouchers and financial reports supporting their transactions from 2007 to 2009.

City Auditor Eva Cabrera said they checked the records of the barangays and discovered that they cannot determine “the propriety, validity, authenticity and legality” of the barangays’ transactions for lack of supporting documents.

Cabrera reminded the officials of the barangays, especially the treasurers, that all financial transactions entrusted to them shall be submitted to the city accountant for recording in the journal. — (FREEMAN)