THE Commission on Audit (COA) questioned the Cebu City government’s allocation of P14 million honoraria for the members of 38 commissions and committees in Cebu City Hall.
The honoraria allocation is one of 54 deficiencies that state auditors included in their annual audit report of the city’s transactions and operations last year.
The COA said the granting of honoraria is tantamount to giving double compensation.
The chairpersons, members and secretaries of these commissions and committees each received P1,000 per meeting and the secretariat staff received P500 per meeting.
The COA said the programs and functions of these committees and commissions are not special projects that were given specific time frames and deadlines to complete.
Among the committees cited in the COA report were the Local Housing Board, Coastline Management Board, Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Board and Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC).
COA said their findings showed that the city government granted honoraria totaling P14,193,690.
Of that amount, P93,000 went to the Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (PRAISE) and P1.24 million to the Peoples Law Enforcement Board. The Cebu City Appraisal Committee received P168,000.
COA said the payments were not consistent with the provisions of Republic Act No. 71610 or the “Guidelines on the Grant of Honoraria Due to Assignment in Government Special Projects.”
The City Legal Office said the legal basis for the honoraria was the city ordinances and executive orders enacted by the City Council and issued by the mayor respectively.