GOVERNMENT auditors have insisted that the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) must record as part of the agency’s assets 41 brand new media equipment donated last year by the Chinese embassy after discovering that these were not listed in the books of account.
The audit team tried to trace the whereabouts of the equipment after an article was published by the Philippine News Agency that the PCOO Office of the Secretary (OSEC) received “state-of-the-art equipment” during a turnover ceremony held on March 14, 2019 graced by Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua.
“(These) were not recorded in the books of accounts of the agency nor were inspected by the Property and Supply Section (PSS). In addition, no donation document was forwarded to the Accounting and Records Division (ARD) for proper recording since, allegedly, only the OSEC Media has this document,” the COA said in its report released last September 8.
The audit team only obtained a copy of the Deed of Donation and Acceptance last June 5, 2020 after it demanded that PCOO OSEC Media furnish it a copy of the said document.
But auditors were unable to locate the donated equipment as not one had a property card maintained by the PSS or a property, plant and equipment (PPE) card maintained by the Accounting Division.
“The PSS claimed that during the physical count of PPE in the OSEC Media, the inventory team was advised not to include certain properties because they were donated properties and not PCOO properties,” the audit team said.
Asked about the location of the equipment, the OSEC Media said these are being used by its personnel in their jobs.