GOVERNMENT auditors have called out the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) for failure to submit P141.69 million worth of fund releases in 2021 for audit.
The fund disbursements were made for the months of August to December 2021 consisting of P112.53 million from the Trust Fund and P29.16 million from the Regular Fund, according to the audit report released last May 13.
Since the agency’s disbursement vouchers (DVs) totaled P154.6 million during the said period, the Commission on Audit said this meant 92 of the DVs went unaudited, thereby “casting doubt on the assertions of Management on the truthful presentation of balances reported in the Financial Statements.”
Auditors reminded the CICC that under COA Circular No. 95-006, it is mandatory for officials responsible for the daily recording of transactions in the books of accounts to turn over the receipts and disbursement records to the COA auditor within 10 days from receipt of said documents.
Records showed the CICC had a 2021 budget of P48.12 million under the General Appropriations Act. Out of this amount, disbursements during the year reached P42.07 million.
However, the CICC also received P300 million from the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) based on a memorandum of agreement dated June 24, 2001.
The sum was earmarked for the Child Online Protection Project and was placed in a Trust Fund at the Bureau of Treasury from which CICC has already drawn P112.53 million as of December 31, 2021.
“Management admitted the delay in the submission of the DVs which was attributable to lack of manpower,” the COA said.
The CICC management agreed to the recommendation from auditors to add more people in its Accounting Unit to help in the documentation of transactions and compliance with financial reporting requirements.
