ILOILO City – Mayor Jason Gonzales of Lambunao, Iloilo faces criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman over alleged unliquidated cash advances reaching P8,983,822.61.
Complainant former mayor Vicente Ramirez charged Gonzales with violation of Article 218 and Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.
The administrative complaints, on the other hand, alleged of dishonesty, gross misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and grave abuse of authority.
Ramirez also included in his complaint (although unnamed) the municipal accountant, municipal treasurer and other local officials and employees who signed disbursement vouchers and other supporting documents related to the questioned cash advances.
In his complaint-affidavit, Ramirez claimed the local government of Lambunao had unliquidated cash advances “to officers and employees totaling P8,983,822.31” as of Dec. 31, 2016.
These “cash advances were not liquidated despite (the fact that) the purpose(s) for which these were granted ha(ve) been served,” according to Ramirez.
He also alleged that despite this, the municipal government continued granting cash advances in violation of existing government accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
A review of the Schedule of Unliquidated Cash Advances as of Dec. 31, 2016 showed outstanding cash advances that went way back to the years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 reaching P8,983,822.31, according to Ramirez.
The municipal mayor during those years was Gonzales’ father, Reynor.
Ramirez said the younger Gonzales was also granted cash advances twice in Aug. 8, 2016 – P10,000 and P50,000.
The current mayor should be held accountable for violation of Article 218 of the Revised Penal Code (failure of accountable officer to render accounts) and Article 217 (malversation of public funds or property), according to Ramirez.
He urged the Ombudsman to subpoena “all the documents relating to these transactions…”
Ramirez also asked the Ombudsman to place Gonzales and concerned local government officials of Lambunao under preventive suspension to preserve the integrity of documents covered by the criminal and administrative complaints.
In filing his complaints, Ramirez used as basis the 2016 annual audit report on Lambunao of the Commission on Audit (COA).
Mayor Gonzales, currently in Manila, said yesterday he was yet to receive a copy of the complaint.
He would issue a statement after he had read the complaint, he told Panay News.
Gonzales declined to speculate on Ramirez’s motive.
“Bahala na ina si Bugok. Ambot kon may nagapamati pa na sa iya,” said Gonzales.
Section 89 of Presidential Decree 1445 (Government Auditing Code) states: “No cash advance shall be given unless for a legally authorized specific purpose. A cash advance shall be reported on and liquidated as soon as the purpose for which it was given has been served. No additional cash advance shall be allowed to any official or employee unless the previous cash advance given to him is first settled or a proper accounting thereof is made.”
Meanwhile, Section 5.1 of COA Circular No. 97-002 provides that the accountable officer shall liquidate his cash advances as follows:
* Salaries, Wages, etc. – within five days after each 15 day/end of the month pay period
* Petty Operating Expenses and Field Operating Expenses – within 20 days after the end of the year; subject to replenishment as frequently as necessary during the year.
* Official Travel – within 60 days after return to the Philippines in the case of foreign travel or within 30 days after return to his permanent official station in the case of local travel
Also under this COA circular, all cash advances shall be fully liquidated at the end of each year./PN
