P250,000 gov’t money used
in Subic excursion?
TARLAC
CITY— The mayor’s office here, including
officials of a government union, are now under
fire for using P250,000 in taxpayers’ money
in a non-existent “team-building” seminar
that was supposedly held in the coastal town
of Subic in Zambales last June 8, a Saturday.
Public documents that were
painstakingly gathered from the city hall have
it that the government money was withdrawn in
the form of a cash advance by Rose Novenario,
an employee at the city treasury office and
who also happens to be the treasurer of the
Tarlac City Government Employees’ Union (TCGEU).
The same documents approved by acting
city administrator Fernando Serrano showed
that amount was drawn from Mayor Genaro
Mendoza’s appropriation under the grant and
aid allocation fund.
It was learned that no seminar actually
took place in the government employees’
Subic trip, and that it was instead a beach
excursion.
Nine buses were rented by the TCGEU for
the non-existent seminar, and even as
government money was provided for the trip,
each of the city hall workers brought their
own meals, while a ranking elected official
provided them with two roasted calves.
The controversial government-funded
junket was further found to be lacking a
travel order, a memorandum to attend a
seminar, itinerary of travel and other
pertinent documents required by law for
taxpayers’ money to be released for such
supposed official activities.
Under accounting and auditing
regulations, no money from any local
government unit should be withdrawn for
private purposes, including activities of
government employees’ unions and
organizations.
Besides, the said cash advance derived
from the grant and aid allocation fund of
Mendoza’s office also lacked a council
resolution authorizing the mayor to release
the government money.
