Manila council to COA: Tighten barangay fund rules

MANILA, Philippines — The city council of Manila has passed a resolution urging the Commission on Audit (COA) to enforce stricter measures for the withdrawal of barangay funds.

The resolution, authored by District 6 Councilor Caloy Castañeda, called on COA to revoke Circular 2012-005, which requires only a “punong barangay certificate (PBC) and COA auditor’s advice” for the disbursement of barangay funds.

The resolution also proposed that the COA reinstate Circular 2009-008, which required the city or municipal accountant’s advice for barangay check disbursements.

The resolution was approved without any objection during a session of the city council on Aug. 22.

Castañeda had declared that the 2012 COA circular enabled faster withdrawals for barangays to implement programs and projects at the soonest time but it also allegedly led to corruption and wastage of funds.

The councilor said he has seen barangay funds being withdrawn without corresponding documents. The funds were not accounted for, he added, but did not elaborate.

District 6 Councilor Philip Lacuna, youngest sibling of Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan, pointed out that requiring only a PBC for barangay check withdrawals was in line with the COA’s establishment of the New Government Accounting System or NGAS, which aims to “simplify government accounting, conform to international accounting standards (and) generate periodic and relevant financial reports for better monitoring of performance.”

Lacuna said the need for an accountant’s advice is “very distinct to the city of Manila, the only city with 896 barangays.”

He said that when he was a barangay chairman, it took three years before the barangay underwent a government audit.