OFFICIALS of the National Food Authority-Central Office (NFA-CO) and NFA-National Capital Region (NFA-NCR) are being required by the Commission on Audit to refund transportation allowances paid to them in 2021 totaling P1.373 million despite being unqualified recipients.
The audit team said the NFA executives were already using government cars as service vehicles, hence they were already barred from receiving transportation allowances under COA Circular No. 75-6 and Section 56 of the General Provisions of the 2021 General Appropriations Act (RA 11518).
“Review of the payroll showed that in CY 2021 NFA CO and NCR officials with assigned motor vehicles claimed transportation allowances amounting to P1.205 million and P168,258, respectively, or a total of P1.373 million,” the COA said.
The NFA management explained that while the motor vehicles were issued under the name of the officials concerned, in reality the service vehicles are being used by their respective department.
Government auditors countered that the Supreme Court had already clarified the issue raised by the NFA management in the 1998 case of Aida Domingo vs. COA where the High Court ruled that a government official assigned a service vehicle is not entitled to receive transport allowances “whether or not he/she actually used such vehicle.”
At the same time, the audit team questioned NFA’s purchase of 15 brand new pickup trucks in 2021 for P21.89 million.
Price comparisons conducted by the auditors showed each unit was paid for at prices higher than the suggested retail price from manufacturers and their dealers, resulting to an extra cost of P72,400 per unit or a total of P1.086 million.
On the other hand, the provisional safeguard duty of P123,200 for each vehicle or a total of P1,848 million which was included in the contract price was not returned by the supplier.
“The acquisition cost per unit of the 4×2 pick-up truck with automatic engine transmission in the amount of P1.397 million is higher by P72,400 than the prevailing market price of P1.325 million published in the official Philippine website of the manufacturers and online advertisements of car dealers of the same type of unit,” the COA noted.
