A CITY LAWMAKER has criticized a former City Auditor for “playing blind, deaf and dumb” to years of financial mismanagement during the previous city administration. In yet another privilege speech before the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) session last Friday, City Councilor Alexander “Aleckoy” Lim expressed shock that former City Auditor Anecia “Aning” Maglajos never disclosed anomalous transactions involving millions of pesos throughout the incumbency of then City Mayor Dan Lim. In his speech, Lim narrated that millions of pesos of fees from the city’s enterprise units were not remitted to the city coffers, the discovery of illegal collections done by members of the previous administration’s “task force”, the claims made by the new city mayor that City Hall is facing bankruptcy due to alleged draining out of funds, the failure to submit financial statements by the City Treasurer and City Accountant, the millions of pesos in unliquidated cash advances and the recent finding by a Special Audit Team from the Commission on Audit (COA) regional office  of another millions of pesos in unremitted tax collections.

“What was the COA doing during the last nine years?” Lim asked.

According to the lawmaker, he cannot help but suspect that the former city auditor was part of “a great conspiracy of hiding the truth” from the public. He said that the public shares the same belief and sentiment that “the COA of Tagbilaran City is working for its masters, the previous officials of City Hall, and not for the people of Tagbilaran, its rightful boss.” “She (Maglajos) must have known something that we do not know. And we want to know why she saw no evil, heard no evil, and smelt no evil in the so many anomalous transactions and dealings of the previous administration,” Lim stressed. Lim, who is chairman of the SP Committee on Public Accountability and Investigation, said he has filed a resolution demanding for an SP inquiry on the recent discovery of unremitted tax collections involving several personnel at the Office of the City Treasurer.

“The COA, as vanguard of public funds, has failed us. It failed to maintain transparency, it failed to report to the public the millions of pesos lost to private pockets. It failed to investigate the numerous anomalies at City Hall,” Lim declared. Lim requested his fellow lawmakers that a copy of his privilege speech be furnished to the COA head office and even the Ombudsman so that proper investigation would be conducted into the role of the former city auditor regarding the millions of public funds lost in the past administration. “COA officials who have not done their duty to protect public funds must face criminal and administrative charges before the Ombudsman,” he said. Moreover, Lim urged City Mayor John Geesnell Yap II to order department heads to fully cooperate in the ongoing investigations being conducted by the SP. The councilor likewise requested the mayor to “freeze” all records, documents and papers that may prove crucial in uncovering the truth regarding allegations of irregularities leveled against the former mayor.