Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing. Where have all the (Panagbenga) money gone? Long time ago. When will we ever learn?
In an attempt to spend an excess fund of over P25 million, the city council (while the mayor and vice mayor were absent) appropriated P7.2 million, for supposed priority barangay projects. The lion’s share of P17 million was, however, appropriated for cars!
Then they changed their minds. But, instead of increasing the measly P7.2 for your projects, they reduced it further to only P5.6!
Why? Well, the P1.6 million that they took away was added to the amount they needed for vehicles. In the end, they had P19.6 million for cars, and only P5.6 for your project.
No one can say that the council has done nothing during their first 140 days in office. Among their first priority projects was their car plan.
It’s ironic that those who can afford to buy cars are the ones who are pushing the car plan. Don’t they already have one car too many?
For example, Cosalan and Cariño, who are among the most ardent defenders of the car plan, have three vehicles each. Nick Aliping has vehicles with a total worth of P4 million.
Lulu Tabanda also has three vehicles, but has wisely kept quiet about the issue. We understand that she was a reluctant adherent to the car plan.
Pinky Rondez has no car to her name, but has the use of two MBs of her hubby. Elaine Sembrano has a shiny like-new BMW worth P1.6 million. Rocky Balisong has a vehicle worth P1.4 million.
Palaganas, Erding Balajadia, and Fred Bagbagen have one each.
Tony Tabora voted against the car plan, while Panagan and Bayan were absent. There is therefore no need to tell you how many cars they have.
Galo Weygan says that his car became depreciated so he sold it. He now expects you to buy one for him to use. No wonder he is the sponsor of the infamous car plan.
Although Weygan did not yet report ownership of any vehicles, official records will show that he has a recently acquired 2004 Toyota Vios. There is also a 1999 Kia Pride registered in the name of Galo Weygan. Ciguro napilitan ni Lakay. That’s why he should not be liable for perjury or anti-graft.
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Instead of cars, we urge the councilors to focus on recovering money of the city that are missing/lost under questionable circumstances.
Very recently, on Oct. 8, a Special Audit Report was issued by the COA, relative to the “financial assistance given by the City of Baguio to the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. (BFFFI) for the years 2003 and 2004.”
Among some of findings in the report are:
1. The total amount of x x x P1,576,500 consisting of donations from John Hay Management Corporation intended for the City of Baguio in relation to the flower festival were not receipted and acknowledged by the concerned city officials as public funds of the city. The same were instead received by the BFFFI and accounted for as private funds. These procedures are contrary to the fundamental laws on proper management of public funds particularly on the “receipt of public funds.” As a result, the asset account of the City of Baguio for cash was understated by P1,576,500 and the relevant income accounts were also understated by the same amount. More importantly, accountability and responsibility for each monies were not set up and adhered to.
2. The amount of P1 million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of Cong. Mauricio Domogan received by the city and granted to the BFFFI was not declared by the City of Baguio as financial assistance. Consequently, a failure to properly account for the same ensued which is contrary to proper and efficient management of public funds.
3. The financial assistance/grant in the total amount x x x P6,976,500 provided by the City of Baguio to the BFFFI in the years 2003 and 2004 were not covered by an appropriation, authority, and legal basis as required by the laws x x x. The grant was also not in compliance with COA Circular 96-003, which provides the accounting guidelines for financial assistance to GOs/POs/NGOs. x x x. For these reasons, there is no assurance again that public funds were efficiently managed and spent for public purpose to forward the interest of the City of Baguio.
4. The city treasurer and the city budget officer had pecuniary interest in the financial grant given by the City of Baguio to BFFFI in the year 2004, in violation of x x x the Anti-Graft Law and the Code of Ethics of Public Officials.
To our mind, more people should be made liable, not just the city treasurer and the city budget officer. Perhaps they are the least influential that’s why they were singled out.
There is a lot more in that COA report. Perhaps that will need another column.
