STATE auditors have called out the city mayor and vice mayor of Passi City in Iloilo for putting their names and faces on billboards and posters in government infrastructure projects, noting the practice is a violation of existing policies of the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
In the 2020 audit report, the city government was notified that the procurement of various items, including desk/poster calendars, jackets, personalized mugs, and wall clocks totaling P629,564.21 are considered illegal expenditures because each item bore the images and names of local government officials.
“Review of pertinent disbursement vouchers and its supporting documents for the period January 1 to December 31, 2020 revealed that the City procured items bearing the names or initials and/or images or pictures of government personalities that were considered irregular expenditures,” auditors said.
Among the flagged transactions were the purchase of 3,300 board calendars, 102 customized jackets for barangay and Sagguniang Kabataan chairpersons, 3,000 poster calendars, 60 wall clocks, and 600 personalized coffee mugs.
The audit team also attached pictures of two billboards showing the faces of the mayor and the vice mayor flanking the title of road projects in Poblacion and Brgy. Agdayao.
“DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2010-101 clearly provides that the practice of putting up of billboards and signages and other information materials bearing the names, initials or pictures of government personalities on all government projects, and government properties (firetrucks, ambulances, vehicles, etc.) is prohibited,” the COA pointed out.
The DILG memorandum also called the “Anti-Epal Memo” was issued by the late Sec. Jesse Robredo reminding elected officials that they should not “take the credit away from the taxpayers who are the ones paying for such programs or projects through their tax payments.”
Both the COA and DILG circulars required that the only information on a project billboard should be the name of the title of the project, the contractor’s name, budget, location, and the timetable for completion.
The COA’s issuance, however, provided that “all expenses incurred in violation of the Circular shall be disallowed in audit” and that agency officials shall face administrative disciplinary actions and possible criminal action.
During the exit conference with the audit team, the city mayor explained that the questioned disbursements were intended “to inform the public” of the local government’s accomplishments and that the incumbent administration implemented them.
“The aforementioned guidelines clearly prohibited the names or initials and/or images or pictures of government officials appearing on government programs, projects and properties; hence, these disbursements were contrary to the above-mentioned rules and regulations,” the COA said.
The city leaders agreed with the auditors’ recommendation to stop the practice of putting up names, pictures and even initials of government officials on programs and projects or on procured goods for distribution to constituents.
