Leonardia: Overprice issue a mere political propaganda
BACOLOD CITY -- Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday hit back at his detractors for putting the word "overprice" in the auditorial review conducted by the Commission on Audit on the New Government Center. Leonardia said that based on the current audit report conducted by State Auditor 1 Laurence Tato and Senior Technical Audit Specialist Roldan Menciano, there was no mention of the word "overprice" and its use is for the sake of black propaganda against his administration.
The Local Chief Executive yesterday "read in toto" the findings of the current COA report as of March 2009 and it mentioned as follows: "Be that as it may, this variance from the COA cost estimates totalling P29,910,267.94 (which is the sum total of variances of the Direct Cost, Indirect Cost and the Valued Added Tax) can be considered reasonable and tolerable pursuant to COA Resolution No. 91-52, dated September 17, 1991."
Leonardia noted that this COA resolution is used as a practice by some other Local Government Units. "It is a very rare case in Bacolod City where an audit findings last July 2007 has been subjected again for another and new audit," Leonardia lamented. He believed that the COA was only pressured to issue a current audit report because there are people in Congress threatening not to approve their budget for 2009. Leonardia said that in spite of the auditorial review the result presented by COA was more favorable to the city government because from 8.18 percent tolerable in 2007, it now dropped to 7.02 percent tolerable or reasonable.
He believed that what was cited in a COA report is legal and valid interpretation. "What is unfortunate here is the distortion of the facts of the case," Leonardia added. He explained that the report presented by his detractors has no legal basis because they did not include the total contract price that should be equal to or less than the total COA estimates plus ten percent in order to sustain findings of recommendation, otherwise, the contract price will be deemed excessive.
On the other hand, Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson reacted on the presentation by some other groups that the New Government Center is overpriced. Sayson who had already read the COA findings suggested to Mayor Leonardia to immediately send this report to COA so that they will be cleared in all the accusations hurled against them. He called the transaction for the New Government Center as "above board".