ILOILO City – After weeks of refusal, City Treasurer Jinny Hermano signed the payroll of the city government’s excess job hires.
However, he did so with objection and cited Section 106 of Presidential Decree 1445 or the State Audit Code of the Philippines.
Section 106 is titled “Liability for acts done by direction of superior officer.” It states: “No accountable officer shall be relieved from liability by reason of his having acted under the direction of a superior officer in paying out, applying, or disposing of the funds or property with which he is chargeable, unless prior to that act, he notified the superior officer in writing of the illegality of the payment, application, or disposition.”
Under this section, the officer directing any illegal payment or disposition of funds or property shall be held primarily liable for the loss.
According to Hermano yesterday, his signing of the job hires’ payroll was based on the recommendation of the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BGLF).
He also said the Office of the City Mayor assured him of sufficient funds.
“May assurance ang Office of the Mayor. Wala nila ginlakip sa ila program of expenditures ang P74,994,000 nga kulang sa aton estimate of collectibles sa 2019 Annual Budget bilang sabat sa akon kahangawa sa kakulangan sa pundo,” said Hermano.
A total of 388 excess job hires have yet to receive their salaries since January because of Hermano’s refusal sign their payroll.
There were 189 excess job hires in January and 199 in February.
Hermano vowed to continue performing his mandate as city treasurer under Section 470 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code “nga sa tanan nga oras protehiran kag ipatigayon ang eksakto, nagakabagay kag santo sa kasugoan nga paggamit sang pundo nga gintugyan sang pumoluyo sa syudad sa akon paghinakop.”
Hermano had been under pressure to sign the excess job hires’ payor since last month. He had no power to withhold salaries already certified by the city budget officer, city accountant and the head of the department or office, according to the City Legal Office (CLO), citing Article 344 of the Local Government Code.
Meanwhile, Mayor Jose Espinosa III warned Hermano of being charged with insubordination.
The Internal Audit Service (IAS) Office, for its part, said the city government had enough funds to pay job hire employees.
Collection for the month of January to February far exceeded the disbursement covering the period January to March 14, 2019, read part of the report prepared by IAS chief Atty. Joan Montaño-Pallada.
Hermano had also been accused of playing politics. But he said, “I am just doing my job. Wala sang pulitika, 100 percent. I am just standing by my duty nga protektahan ang pondo sang banwa, amo man lang na akon.”
He complained to the police last month of having received threats from unpaid city government job hires./PN
