A city lawmaker called the city accountant to appear during next Friday's session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod amid public clamor for transparency revolving on the missing vouchers and the P20 million unliquidated cash advances as reported by the Commission on Audit.
In his privilege speech delivered last Friday, City Kagawad Zenaido "Djingo" Rama lambasted City Accountant Kurt Bungabong for being "very elusive these past few days."
He reminded the city accountant he is "not only dealing with the Sangguniang Panlungsod but with the entire people of the city in whose interests we are all duty bound to preserve and safeguard."
"He owes us respect because we are elected officials, representing the people who voted us to this council," the lawmaker stressed while saying that this is "not the first time that Bungabong displayed utter disrespect not only to me but to the Sangguniang Panlungsod as well."
The lawmaker said he could not remember, even for once, that the city accountant "acceded to the call for transparency and accountability."
He asked the city accountant to end his "pathetic defenses despite the very clear observations of the city auditor as appearing in the 2007 and 2008 Audit Reports."
Rama called the city accountant to present the supporting documents in order to disprove apprehensions of some ghost deliveries covered under the missing vouchers covering expenditures amounting to P7.9 million.
BUNGABONG'S REPLY
Bungabong presented to the public an update of the missing vouchers issue during a radio interview last Sept. 5 wherein he stated that some of the vouchers were already transmitted to COA last May 12 this year.
He mentioned in particular the vouchers for 3M Industrial Sales amounting to P1,859,904.39 and for E. Butalid Store, P2,848,843.70 and P225,000. He likewise mentioned that the vouchers with Mark Leo Monton as payee amounting to P291,987 were not yet ready for transmittal to COA as of Sept. 5, 2009 even as the disbursements were done last year.
However, during that radio interview, the city accountant failed to mention details of the specific items purchased as covered in the vouchers amounting to P7.9 million.
AWAITING REPLY
Kagawad Rama said the city accountant did not bother to answer his letter request for supporting documents.
"While the city accountant claimed the documents are intact in his office, he could not provide the city lawmakers copies of these supporting papers," Rama stressed.
The lawmaker challenged the city accountant that "If there is nothing to hide, then attend next Friday's session in the spirit of genuine transparency."
MAYOR BLAMES COA
City mayor Dan Lim blamed the Commission on Audit on these recent developments revolving in the release of the audit reports.
In a letter to COA Regional Director Delfin Aguilar, the mayor charged the COA to be "active participant in partisan politics," instead of safeguarding government funds.
The mayor in his letter dated Sept. 3, told the COA auditor that "issues have put the Local Government of Tagbilaran particularly the undersigned in a bad light."
He questioned why the 2008 annual audit report "found its way to various personalities other than the addresses."
The mayor asked that the local state auditors should comment on the report so that the truth can be told and for the public to know the real score.
On the reported 22 missing vouchers, the mayor denied the COA report saying the "vouchers are complete and are being safeguarded at the accounting
office." He also mentioned that said missing vouchers were transmitted to COA in May this year.
However, City Accountant Bungabong admitted that some vouchers were not yet transmitted as of Sept. 5 this year like the vouchers involving Mark Leo Monton, top aide of the city mayor. - the bohol chronicle
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=22383.0