‘Bulacan spent P20.5 M for 81 consultants’

MANILA, Philippines — The provincial government of Bulacan spent P20.5 million last year to pay 81 consultants “with no technical or professional expertise to meet the services needed by management,” according to a Commission on Audit (COA) report released yesterday.

The COA said the consultants were given salaries ranging from P10,000 to P40,000.

“The expected output or... accomplishments of the consultants can be considered clerical... rather than technical which can be delivered by the regular staff,” the report read. 

The COA said some of the consultants only rendered encoding, bookkeeping and secretarial services, which duplicated the functions of regular employees. 

“The consultants’ services can be dispensed with,” state auditors said.

 “Our audit also revealed that the actual duties and functions of some consultants do not agree with what was stated in their signed contract,” they said.

The provincial government was asked to address the issues raised in the COA report.