Labor scam uncovered anew in Tigbauan
More anomalies and irregularities have now been uncovered by the Commission on Audit (COA) in the government dealings of the Municipality of Tigbauan. With answers still hanging on the December expose' of a town councilor on multi-million financial mess of the town, this latest COA findings spelled more trouble for Mayor Myrna Torres.
In an Audit Memorandum Observation (AOM), State Auditor III Ana Rose Cynthia Lebrilla wrote to the lady mayor the Commission's discovery. For instance, record and documents verified by the COA team confirmed serious irregularities in at least three Tigbauan infrastructure projects implemented using the town's development fund.
This, as government auditors on the job found out the highly irregular preparation and payment of labor payrolls which resulted to triple or double payment of wages of some laborers. Morever, the audit team noticed with special interest, that the three infrastructure works - concrete fence at the public market, concrete fence at the municipal slaugtherhouse and removal of existing windows and installation of sliding glass windows of the municipal building - were all done simultaneously using the same program of works including amounts for labor and materials component.
Appropriation is over P.8 million. One payroll alone scrutinized by the COA showed unlawful payment supposedly paid double and triple totaled P15,610. Further verification also showed three identical payrolls where signatures of the supposed claimants differ from the other signatures as it appeared in the document.
"We have same laborer with same work, three payrolls yet in different signatures," a town official reached by The News Today (TNT) for clarification said.
The COA in its findings noted the glaring irregularity.
"Moreover, there is inconsistency in the approval of the labor payrolls. The approving officer in the installation of the sliding glass window and the concrete fence at Trompeta Drive for the period June 13-18, 2005 was the Vice Mayor as Officer-in-Charge while the payroll for the concrete fence at slaugherhouse for the same period was the Municipal Mayor," the findings went which prompted a team member to asked then, "how can Tigbauan have a mayor at the same time officer-in-charge?"
Worse yet, one labor payroll discovered by government auditors showed a payroll marked "paid" June 17, 2005 yet the approval as per affixed signature of the then "OIC Mayor" was on June 23, 2005.
"Again, how can Tigbauan pay something that was not even approved yet," same TNT source pointed out.
"The law clearly pinpoints the persons liable for illegal transactions. Officials or employees who have a hand in the preparation, approval and payment of these labor payrolls are also directly and personally liable for such illegal expenditures. More so, those persons who have taken part or receiving payment are also jointly and severally liable to the government. One of the consequences of illegal expenditures is dismissal from the service," the COA in its memorandum to Mayor Torres wrote.
As such, it was now recommended that corresponding probe be conducted by the Municipality as direct attention of the lady mayor was called, "file appropriate charges against the erring officials and employees." This, as one longtime employee retorted, "te paano kay si mayor man ang nakasala kag may pirma dira? Sin- o ang mangisog file kaso kontra sa iya? (But what now because it is the Mayor who is at fault and the one who signed it? Who will take courage and file a case against her?)"
This latest controversy comes alongside persistent calls for the lady mayor's resignation. It has been common knowledge to the town how Mayor Torres has since refrained from performing her regular duties and holds office in her residence. Such after the lady mayor suffered from stroke and later 'blamed' to have empowered close aides to 'take-over' post.
Councilor Romeo Ledesma in December called anew for the Torres resignation as he appealed and begged for the lady mayor to straighten up the town's affairs particularly multi-million in financial mess.