A two-page notice of disallowance against some of the government officials in the city Manila was released by the Commission on Audit last October 29, 2009. The Commission on Audit filed the said notice when they found out that there were deficiencies on the voucher presented by the officials, which concerned the payments for the alleged contracted services of 21 consultants. However, based from the results of the audit prepared by Domingo C. Bocalan Jr., State Auditor IV, the submitted vouchers or payrolls for the period covering July1, 2007 to June 30, 2009 for alleged contracted services were void and that the supposed 21 consultants were fictitious employees. This under-the-table transaction have cost the city P5,058,000.00.
Mayor Alfredo Lim claimed in his affidavit that he have no idea about the said anomalous transaction, which in turn reinforced the Commission on Audit file the notice of disallowance against the involved officials. As a follow up, Lim also noted that he did not sign any contract for the said services nor did he allowed the fictitious consultants to receive any consultation fees or compensations. Lim's statement were further reinforced by three of his office staff. Ms. Rowena Senatin, Ms. Helen Natividad and Mr. Arturo Mijares were the said officials who attested Lim's words through their affidavits.
According to the officials, the names of the consultants that appeared in the payrolls that was submitted to them by some of the members of the accounting and property division of the city of Manila were not included in the list of consultants that were employed by the mayor. The three also confirmed that the consultants were fictitious. Such government anomaly is an indication of the existence of illegal transactions taking place in the local government of Manila. Likewise, this transaction was not necessarily carried out to help the city but a mere justification for the involved personnel to acquire personal gains.
The notice given by the Commission on Audit named 11 officials from the accounting and property division of Manila. They were Pacifico Lagramada, Yolanda Ignacio, Marleen Young, Gloria Quilantang, Vicky Valientes, Erlinda Marteja, Philip Cabalun II, Cherry Chan, Alicia Moscaya, Fritz Noel Borres, and Rodelio Leyson. The said officials consented the release of P5,058,000.00 as a payment to the non-existent consultants for their supposed services to the mayor's office. Mayor Alfredo Lim and the affidavit of his staffs attested the involvement of the said personnel.
The involved personnel from the accounting and property division of the city of Manila were recommended by Bocolan, in his notice of disallowance, to return the full amount of P5,058,000.00. The said amount was the payment for the consultants of the alleged contracted services. The notice given by the Commission of Audit was final, giving the involved officials six months to settle the issue. Accordingly, if the said individuals were not able to comply, the commission would take the necessary steps in order to enforce the notice.
Although Mayor Alfredo Lim, in his affidavit, served as the way to expose this particular corrupt activity, it appears that something in this picture does not coordinate. Considering that all the local projects of Manila are needed to be approved by the mayor, what remains questionable in this instance is the fact that the release of payments was still done in spite of Lim claiming that he did not gave his authority for the said project. While there may have been people held liable for this transaction, the above question is a simple inquiry to further shed light on how the transaction was carried out. The public is waiting for this side of the story to be clarified.
A notice of disallowance was given by the Commission on Audit against some of the government officials from the city of Manila. The notice was filed following the deficiencies found in the vouchers submitted to the Commission on Audit, which contained the supposed payment for 21 fictitious consultants. This government anomaly had cost the city P5,058,000.00. Mayor Alfredo Lim noted that he did not approve and signed any of the contracts for the said consultation services.
-Julius Arante
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