MikeLigalig.com

By the Bohol Chronicle

Some officials of the Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office (BPRMO) are in hot water after the Commission on Audit (COA) found discrepancies in the utilization of a P2-million financial assistance given to a local federation of cooperatives.

Pedro Paumig, Jr., audit team leader declared that per findings uncovered, P396,398.65 was unaccounted, aside from the alleged misuse of funds and cash advances derived from the P2 million fund assistance released by the office of the governor and a capital build-up of P325,200 contributed by the 20 members of the federation.

The financial assistance of P2 million was released in full on April 11, 2005, instead of tranches contrary to the above regulation, according to the COA report. The fund support was intended to the Federation of BPRMO Agricultural Cooperatives for Eastern Bohol.

When asked to comment, Antonieto "Boy" I. Pernia, BPRMO chief told the Chronicle the P2 million fund assistance was released in April 2005 when he was not yet connected with the BPRMO." He assumed as BPRMO chief in March 2006.

"We discovered the irregularity only when I called COA to audit the P200,000 fund intended for training, while saying that any attempt to link me to the anomaly will never prosper," he stressed.