THE Commission on Audit has tagged P76.77 billion worth of transactions and expenditures by various national government agencies (NGAs) in 2020 as “of doubtful validity,” lacking in legal basis, and “unauthorized/irregular/excessive or unnecessary.”
In addition, state universities and colleges (SUCs) were also questioned over similar infractions involving P1.66 billon in public funds.
The findings were posted in the 2020 Annual Financial Report (AFR) released by the COA on December 17, 2021. Copies of the report have been furnished the Office of the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives on December 15, 2021.
The AFR is released by the COA every year with electronic copies posted on the commission’s official website www.coa.gov.ph.
Based on the breakdown provided in the 487-page report, the biggest sum being questioned was the P54.368 billion disbursements of 56 different agencies consisting principally of questionable cash benefits for officials and employees, fund transfers to private organizations, and procurement of supplies and services with insufficient supporting documents.
Among the line agencies included in the list were the Departments of Health, Foreign Affairs, Labor and Employment, Science and Technology, Tourism, Transportation, Public Works and Highways, Social Welfare and Development, and National Defense and the Commission on Higher Education.
Also questioned was the P14.695 billion payments for legal consultants by four agencies without the required written authority or clearance from the Office of the Solicitor General and the COA.
The report identified the agencies as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), and the Bureau of Communications Services.
However, an examination of the audit report on the said agencies showed the biggest amount was only for P1.69 million involving two private lawyers hired by the DILG, one at P83,406 per month and the other at P65,319 per month.
The DILG audit also mentioned a request by Secretary Eduardo Año to hire 12 private lawyers to render services under the agency’s Bantay Korapsyon program. Año’s letter to the COA was dated July 31, 2020.
The BFAR, PCC, and the BCS spent well below P1 million for the services of legal consultants.
Also questioned in audit was the P4.03 billion “disbursement for various expenses/allowances/honoraria/benefits without legal basis” made by eight agencies, including the Department of Education (DepEd), the Department of Tourism (DoT), the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), and the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor (PCUP).
The National Printing Office (NPO) was also flagged for P906.5 million payments made to 14 private printers wherein disbursement vouchers were found to be unsupported by related agreements.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) was tagged over unsubmitted disbursement vouchers in its 14 regional offices amounting to P757.53 million.
The DOH was also questioned for spending P557.7 million that did not comply with “established rules, procedural guidelines, policies, principles or practices.”
Among the SUCs, the biggest disbursement flagged by state auditors was the P738.94 million released by 38 tertiary level educational institutions as payment for salaries/wages, allowances, and benefits and ongoing projects with incomplete supporting documents.
