City Accountant Kurt Adolf Bungabong was in a talking mode yesterday to demolish allegations of irregularities regarding the so-called “missing vouchers” and the P20 million unliquidated cash advances of city hall officials for the year 2008. City Mayor Dan Neri Lim commissioned the city accountant to do the talking during the chief executive's weekly radio program “Ang Mayor sa Dakbayan” to answer accusations of critics about the lost vouchers and the cash advances. Fast becoming the favorite whipping boy of Bohol 's bi-weekly, Mayor Lim was at the receiving end of a barrage of allegations from the Bohol Chronicle involving 22 vouchers where it claimed to be missing. The newspaper quoted State Auditor Charlita Leopoldo as having discovered 22 missing vouchers which should have been included in the supporting documents of the 2008 Commission on Audit Report. Without batting an eyelash, Bungabong blurted ”what missing” were they talking about? Earlier, in a letter to COA Regional Director Delfin Aguilar, Mayor Lim assailed the propensity of local state auditors and supervising auditor assigned to the city government to being mum on some speculations, misrepresentations and false accusations when the 2008 Annual Audit Report found its way to various personalities other than the addressees of the report. The city mayor said other than its noble purpose of guiding and helping the city government, the silence of the auditors to these speculations and misrepresentations allowed the “prostitution of the Annual Audit report'.
MISSING VOUCHERS
On the issue of the so-called missing vouchers, Bungabong furnished the Post on their status which indicated that either they were transmitted to the COA, for transmittal and or cancelled. Among the prominent entries in the document-- status of missing vouchers, was the one paid to 3M Industrial Sales in the amount of P1,859,904 and two separate vouchers of E. Butalid Store and Hardware. The two vouchers belonging to the local hardware was for P2,848,843.70 and P225,000.00. According to Bungabong per his record in the city accountant's office, the three vouchers were already transmitted to the COA on May 12, 2009. In the Chronicle banner story last Sunday, the three vouchers formed part of the 22 others who were found to have been lost. All 22 vouchers have of an aggregate amount of P7.9 million. Under transmittal, one of the vouchers which the Chronicle prominently reported was that of Mark Leo Monton, acting general services officer, which amounted to P291,987.00. Another voucher up for transmittal was that of E. Bayot which totaled P2,247,503.40. The same was zeroed in as a huge disbursement by the Chronicle expose'. Under the status of cancelled such vouchers including payments to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, P1,000 and Bohol Librarian's Association, another P1,000, were also detailed in the explanation of the city accountant. Another entry in the missing vouchers indicated “not returned by the office of the vice mayor”. The items included A P20,000 payment to the Integrated Bar of the Phils. and the payment of P9,120.00 to Kagawad Rammy June Alturas.
Explaining this discrepancy, the city accountant said that in the case of the two vouchers, V-Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso must have overlooked the process of returning the supporting papers of the two payments. The item that raised the hackles of the mayor's critics was the phrase in the audit report of state auditors saying it “created doubt on the validity of transactions due to lack of supporting documents”. Seizing the occasion arising from doubts created by the lack of supporting documents, the mayor's detractors took this to mean as a case of the missing vouchers. This resulted in Mayor Lim's heart went “asinking”. According to Mayor Lim, he did not believe that “we will come to a point that we will be doubting the diligence and competency of the local state auditors”. The introductory statement of Part II of the audit report said it all. It said “ a comprehensive audit, conducted on the accounts and operations of the city government of Tagbilaran”.
Elaborating on the part of the city mayor, Bungabong said the findings of the state auditors on the said missing vouchers contradicted their claim of a comprehensive audit conducted. Bungabong said had the auditors been diligent or competent enough, they would have known the processes involved in the processing of transactions involving disbursement vouchers. This was how the city accountant detailed the route of supporting documents of vouchers: All transactions involving disbursement vouchers pass through the Accounting Office where the vouchers are reviewed for completeness if documents supporting them and whether they are charge to appropriations and obligated by the Budget Office. After the review and after the Accounting Office has warranted the completeness of the supporting documents, the same will be kept by the office for safeguarding to avoid loss, tampering of supporting documents, and other events that could go wrong if they will be out to other offices such as the Treasurer's Office, Office of the City Mayor/Vice Mayor where they go next. P20-M UNLIQUIDATED CASH ADVANCES
This controversial item which found its way in the newspaper report as unliquidated cash advances was actually mentioned in the audit report as Year-end Trial Balances amounting to P20,052,211.66. Also known as Various Receivables from Officials, Bungabong lamented the fact that this item was not included in the audit report even as an annex to the same. He said the city government has furnished the state auditors copies of the listing of such receivables with the purpose of making it part of their report as what they always demand. With the non-inclusion of the listing in the audit report, the city accountant bewailed the speculation and misrepresentation of the mayor's critics that city hall is concealing the said list. Putting emphasis on various receivables from officials, the city accountant made the following breakdown: General Fund, P15,510,937.320; Special Education Fund, P4,138,034.48 and Trust Fund, P404,239.88 or a total of P20,052,211.66.
MAYOR LIM SAYS Expression of gratitude ‘sweet music' to his ears
Find a person, who in the midst of negative publicity, still found solace in the people's expression of gratitude and support just like “sweet music to his ears”. In fact, it encourages him to face the music even more, even in the face of a bad press. He is City Mayor Dan Neri Lim who can still afford to say “there is nothing sweeter to hear in a time when dirt and mud fills the air lanes and the pages of their newspaper,” the mayor confessed in an interview yesterday. He noted that the expressions of gratitude and support are like a ray of hope in a dark moment for the city government. Every now and then, the mayor said he receives an encouraging message through the telephone, his cell phone and especially during his visits to the different puroks. “They come in different languages but there is only one message: do not lose faith because we are with you,” the mayor said. Lim admitted that there are times when he is tempted to give in to his emotions and give up on his dreams for the city and its people. “It is not easy to be constantly on the receiving end of vicious attacks against your mayor,” he said. Lim said this strategy was successful many times in the past which is the reason why it is again unleashed against him eight months to go in the next election.
He added however that the viciousness and the dirt thrown against him are unlike any other in the past. “Because we dared to protect the interest of the city, I am now the object of this evil and dirty campaign never seen before,” he pointed out. Lim however declared that he felt better the last few days despite the increasing attacks because of the assurance of support “by people who are concerned and know how to appreciate real public service.” “Sometimes, I ask myself whether all these expressions of support are really their sentiments or just because they can longer stomach the lies, deceit and dirt peddled against my administration,” he added. The mayor wonders if the steady stream of support is nothing more than expressions of gratitude or a way of insulting those who engage in mud-slinging. Lim said the increase not only in the number of people who express their support but also in their force of their assertion could be the people's way of getting back at his critics.
He pointed out that his tormentors mock the people supposedly for falling for the birthday greetings and concrete response to their problems aired during his purok visits. “I cannot blame them if they make fun of the expressions of gratitude because they do not have the virtue of gratefulness. These are people who became rich during Martial Law but who now shamelessly criticize Marcos because they have no use for him now,” the mayor added. Lim said he leaves it to the people to decide whom to believe and reject. “If they believe my critics, I have no problem with that,” he added. The mayor said the people deserve the government that they vote for so they have no one else to blame if they end up with a corrupt, inefficient and bungling government. |
