THE Commission on Audit (COA) has stopped salary deductions, for the moment, against government officials and employees who were earlier held liable for disallowed transactions.
However, the COA clarified that the payment is just being deferred and not being waived and only in consideration of the fact that a big part of the country is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
Likewise suspended was the issuance and enforcement of COA’s Order of Execution (COE) while deadlines for the filing of appeals to notices of disallowance and/or notices of charge falling on or after March 13, 2020 were extended by 60 days.
A COE is an order directing a government agency to enforce COA’s final and executory decisions, including those that require persons held liable to refund amounts disallowed through salary deductions or other means.
“The implementation of the ECQ in some parts of the country, and the observance of general community quarantine in some parts … due to the COVID-19, have significantly affected the normal course of operations in government service,” COA said in Resolution No. 2020-022 issued on April 16.
The COA said it issued the deferment and extension because of “a felt need to alleviate the burden of concerned officials and employees” under the present crisis.
The resolution was signed by COA chairman Michael G. Aguinaldo and Commissioner Roland C. Pondoc.
On April 21, the commission also issued a circular that temporarily relaxed rules on the inventory of donated goods and funds, to speed up distribution by way of support to the government’s effort to provide basic necessities to people under quarantine.
From the previous practice of opening all packages, segregating, then recording them before repacking and distribution, the COA said all donations in kind from local and foreign donors would be allowed for distribution straight away.
In its place, only the remaining balance at the end of the quarantine period will be recorded in the books.
