Labella: Previous unliquidated assistance, not politics, delays P5 million aid to barangays

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella. | CDN file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Some Cebu City barangays’ failure to liquidate previous financial assistance from the city government has stalled the distribution of their P5 million financial assistance intended for garbage management.

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said on Monday, December 30, that only around 40 out of the 80 barangays had yet claimed their financial assistance as the other barangays had not been able to account their previous balance.

A policy of the country’s auditing code requires recipients of financial assistance to liquidate their balance first before being eligible to receive another set of aid from the same agency.

Read more: Cebu City Legal Office OKs P5M financial aid to barangays

In its Audit Observation Memorandum issued in the first quarter of 2019, COA said there was at least P314 million of financial assistance to the barangays that would need to be liquidated.

Some barangays, especially those (barangay officials), who are on their first term, had difficulty in accounting for the previous financial assistance from the city, Labella said.

The mayor added that he would be conferring with the City Treasurer and City Accountant for measures that could be taken to help the barangays to get their financial assistance.

“That is one thing that should be looked into labi na sa mga bag-ong kapitan. There has to be a solution like, for example, requiring them to submit an undertaking,” said Labella.

Labella said that if the previous administration of the barangays were not able to properly turn over their liquidation of financial assistance, then it might be impossible for the incumbents to account for the earlier cash assistance.

The mayor, however, denied that there was politics involved in the disbursement of financial assistance.

“Duna na man say gitagaan nga  tagapikas kay matud ni Atty. Castillo, nakahimo man silag substantial compliance. Naa na man ang funding, nganong di man nato ihatag? I will call a meeting [to discuss] if there is a way that we can give them the P5 million assistance without necessarily violating the requirements of the Commission on Audit, DBM, and other budget orders,” said Labella.

Despite being open for a compromise with the barangays, Labella said they might still take legal actions against former officials, who failed to liquidate the cash advances.

Labella reminded that even if the concerned individual was no longer in office, a conviction for an administrative complaint like failure to account financial assets of the government unit would still carry the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from holding public office./dbs