Dec. 18, deadline of COA Special Task Force to submit evaluation to PSC
BACOLOD–The Special Task Force formed by the Commission on Audit to evaluate the documents submitted by Congressman Monico Puentevella on the P50.5 million Liquidation Report will submit not later than today to Mario Lipana, Philippine Sports Commission audit team leader.
“The Commission on Audit chairman has created a Task Force to assess the liquidation report of Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella involving the P50.5 million budget for the hosting of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee”, Lipana said.
The Task Force is headed by director Bato Ali and they were given until today to come up with a report regarding their assessment.
“After the evaluation of the Task Force, that is the time they will come up with another opinion, he said, adding that they will forward the COA opinion to the PSC for appropriate action”, Lipana said.
COA had rendered report this year and forwarded it to Philippine Sports Commission and eventually the PSC filed the plunder case to Puentevella to the Department of Justice, now in the Office of the Ombudsman.
The solon requested for 45 days extension since, according to him, there were documents that he has not yet submitted.
Puentevella submitted his liquidation report on Nov. 13, or three days before the deadline which is November 16.
“The commission or any government agency can run after the person who fails to submit a liquidation report 60 days after the consummation of a project or event”, he stressed.
Meanwhile, PSC chairman Harry Angping said that since the completion of the SEA Games in 2005 up to the time he took over in February 2009, there has been consistent, regular, follow-up for Puentevella to liquidate.
It was unfortunate, he never did, though the solon submitted some documents but not in accordance with COA rules and procedures.
On that basis, the PSC decided to take action, he said.
The COA report revealed they compel Puentevella to liquidate the amount he got in 2005 and this is included in their report which is posted in the COA website. All the demand letters were signed by him, according to Lipana.
Puentevella submitted liquidation documents but the former PSC auditor returned it without action since it lacked the necessary documents.
Former PSC chairman Butch Ramirez had even written Puentevella informing him that his liquidation report was returned and asked him to pick it up in his office so he can complete them, he said. But records show that he did not get the documents until the end of 2008, he added.
In previous interviews, Puentevella defended himself by saying that the action taken by the PSC is politically motivated. He also claimed that there were documents he had submitted to the PSC but these got lost.
Angping countered it by saying that what he did was only ministerial and it was based on the recommendations of COA.
The actual project took place in Dec. 2005 while he took over as PSC chairman only last February 2009. So how can it be politically motivated? Angpin asked Puentevella.
All their entries are encoded in the computer and if, indeed, Puentevella has documents, these can be traced back in the computer, Angping said. The solon did not also say anything about any lost document, he said.
Save Bacolod Movement convenor Romy Niere on the other hand said they are waiting for the report from COA to be submitted to the Office of PSC chairman.
“We made communication to PSC and COA to furnish us the copies so that the people of Bacolod will know what are the updates of Puentevella’s liquidation of Basoc fund”, Niere added.
The group predicted that the solon cannot anymore justified the controversial BASOC Fund since in four years of waiting no official documents were presented much more in 45-day period.
