Gov’t agencies post P2.9-B in unliquidated cash advances

Various government agencies have yet to account for a total of P2.9 billion in "unliquidated cash advances" as of December 2002, which they received from the government through the Commission on Elections (Comelec), according to a report by the Commission on Audit (COA).

COA director Dominador Tersol stated in his report on the Comelec that this huge amount "remained unliquidated as (of) year-end." Some P1.1 billion was released to the Comelec while the remaining P1.7 billion was released to the Department of Education, the Armed Forces and various local government units.

Cash advances due from national government agencies amounted to P1.6 billion, while those due from "officers and employees" were at P975.2 million. Cash advances due from "cash disbursing officers" totaled to P176 million, while those due from local government units were placed at P11.2 million. The remaining P152 million was listed under "receivables."

Tersol suggested that since this has been acknowledged, "management should require accountable officers with unliquidated cash advances to immediately settle their account balance as at year-end and to faithfully observe the laws, rules and regulations pertaining to cash advances."

He added that management should also "require government agencies to immediately settle their outstanding cash advances and make a (memorandum of agreement) between Comelec and the agency concerned, outlining the procedure to be observed in the liquidation of cash advances, as a prerequisite in granting (further) cash advances."

"Management should immediately process all liquidation vouchers submitted by accountable officers and record the same in the books within the period prescribed by law and regulations in order to make the books up to date," Tersol said.

He noted the Department of Finance "took an average of six months to process liquidation documents."