Socrates Fernandez contests COA report

CEBU, Philippines - Former Talisay City mayor-turned city Councilor Socrates Fernandez yesterday denied the allegation that the city during his incumbency allowed the disbursement of P5.8 million for various transactions that involved falsified canvass documents thus violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Fernandez delivered yesterday a privilege speech to respond to the recent audit report on the 2012 spending of the city.

“I would strongly disagree any perception or allegation that during my watch on this specific case, there was a violation on the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. God forbid,” Fernandez said. 

Fernandez said before the release of payments of any transactions, there must be trail component procedures. 

COA auditors have discovered that some of the signatures on the canvass documents for the repair of vehicles and heavy equipment were forged and one of the private contractors had ceased operations in 2010 yet.

During the audit, COA visited the offices of the bidders and interviewed persons who signed the canvass and bid documents.

Suppliers and bidders, however, denied having signed the bid and canvass documents. 

COA noted that the payment for the transactions were supported with three price quotations procured through small value procurement with the same suppliers.

Nine suppliers reportedly participated in the bidding and the TWG recommended SSVF Add Trading as the winning bidder.

In the report, the Kwik Way Engineering Work (Kwew), which is based in Cebu City, submitted 14 bid quotations and canvass documents out of 29 transactions. The documents bore the signature of a Vicinte “Inting” Pongot or Clemente “Inting” Pongot.

But Clemente reportedly denied having signed the bid and canvass documents. 

COA also approached JBEL Heaving Equipment Parts Center (JHEPC), which sells heavy equipment parts and repairs hydraulic systems.

The government agency also found out that JHEPC submitted canvass documents related to at least 13 transactions for heavy equipment repairs.

Furthermore, the JHEPC general manager Jolly Bordeos cannot remember participating in any bidding or submitting price quotations to Talisay City Hall. He also disowned the signatures in the bid and canvassing documents. 

Fernandez, however, insisted that GSO, in receiving all those returned canvassed forms with their supposedly stationery as participants of the canvassing, in good faith, accepted the TWG decision who was to be awarded among the suppliers. 

“The TWG and GSO tried their effort beforehand to verify the company/supplier to determine their existence by phone.

They found out that these suppliers, except for one, still exist,” Fernandez said. 

The purchase request, Fernandez said was sent to the budget officer to appraise the abstract to determine if there is any available fund. 

“The question on forged signatures could be determined and identified in the parameter of the contractors and suppliers whose signatures and official signatories originated from them, but not or never in our government department heads,” Fernandez said. 

The COA already recommended that the Talisay City government conduct an impartial investigation and institute appropriate sanctions against personnel responsible for the disbursements.

The COA also advised the technical working group (TWG) of Talisay City to scrutinize canvass and bid documents to ensure fairness and transparency in the bidding process.  (FREEMAN)