By Francis Allan L. Angelo
A SERIES of memoranda from the Commission on Audit (COA) gave flesh to reports that the Philippine Truth Commission of 2010 is probing alleged anomalous deals during the Tupas administration.
The investigation was triggered by Resolution No. 008-2010 promulgated by the Truth Commission on September 20, 2010.
The resolution requested COA to provide the probe body with “information on cases of disallowances of expenditures on grounds that the same were irregular, unnecessary, excessive and extravagant or unconscionable.”
The commission then sent a letter request signed former chief justice Hilario Davide Jr., commission chairman, to COA chair Reynaldo Villar.
Villar then issued a memorandum dated October 22, 2010 to COA-6 Regional Director Salvador Isiderio.
Isiderio then forwarded the communication on November 2, 2010 to the COA team assigned at the Iloilo provincial government and headed by state auditor Nilo Castigador.
On November 9, the COA at the capitol submitted to the COA regional office a list of 14 transactions amounting to P220.2 million which are considered “irregular, unnecessary, excessive and extravagant or unconscionable.”
The provincial government headed by Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. said the series of communications from the Truth commission and COA prove that they are not behind efforts to nail down Tupas for graft and corruption.
Defensor had said he is willing to release all documents pertinent to the alleged anomalous deals even as he expressed the possibility of filing charges against his predecessor.
The COA list of “anomalous” transactions included the P22.9-million bonuses to day care workers and barangay service point officers in 2008 and the P20.8-million 14th month pay in 2004.
It also listed the anomalous procurement of the P1.15-million autoclave sterilizing machine for the Iloilo Provincial Hospital, and the alleged anomalies in the P643,582 worth of catering services in the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center.
Even the load transfer or pasaload amounting to P8,698.05 from the mobile phone of Governor Tupas to other mobile phones was also included in the list submitted to the Truth commission.
The Tupas camp said the Defensor administration should not single out the former governor in the alleged anomalies at the capitol.
Former provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada said there are other officials who approved the alleged anomalous deals such as former vice governor Rolex Suplico and members of the previous provincial board.
Mejorada said while former board member now Rep. Arthur R. Defensor Jr. abstained in the approval of the 2009 bonuses, “he approved the allowances of health workers.”
“If they want to file cases against (former) Governor Tupas, they should do it. They have been saying in the last five months that they will file cases but nothing happened,” he added.
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