THE Philippine National Construction Corp (PNCC) has won its appeal before the Commission on Audit for the reversal of a 2021 ruling that denied its compensation claim against the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA).
The victory is worth a little over P100 million for the PNCC as the COA en banc ordered the state-owned maritime school to pay the full judgment award of P78.18 million plus six percent yearly interest from January 7, 2019 until fully paid.
PNCC first filed the petition for money claim on November 7, 2018, asking the COA to issue an order compelling the PMMA to pay its obligations relative to the “planning, engineering, and construction of the PMMA Complex Replication project.
The COA initially dismissed the claim on the ground that it was supposedly filed beyond the 10-year prescriptive period.
Records showed the Secretary of Justice (SOJ) issued a resolution dated August 2, 2006 ordering the PMMA to pay P78,178,474.08 plus interest. The school filed a motion for reconsideration which was denied on February 5, 2009.
The COA said 10 years prescription was tolled when the SOJ overruled the PMMA’s appeal on February 5, 2009 while the compensation claim was filed before nine years and nine months from the said date.
