‘COVID FUND MYSTERY’: Councilor demands details of Bacolod’s P56M cash advances

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Some P56 million of the P119 million Bayanihan Fund given to the city government of Bacolod is listed as cash advances and yet to be liquidated.

This is based on a report submitted by City Accountant Ma. Corazon T. Cardel, City Budget Officer Maria Imelda A. Williams, and City Treasurer Giovanni P. Balalilhe to the Sangguniang Panlungsod last week.

The Bayanihan Fund was granted to local government units to help in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Councilor Wilson Gamboa lamented that what was submitted last Oct 7, 2020 during their regular session was a sheer financial “List” and not a liquidation report on how the P119 million Bayanihan Fund was utilized by the city government.

Gamboa earlier sponsored a resolution asking for the liquidation of the P119 million Bayanihan Fund from the national government which was approved by the SP.

The report outlined the status of the P119,198,771 Bayanihan Fund as of Sept 30, 2020.

A copy of the report furnished to the media stated that of the P119,198,771 Bayanihan Grant, the obligated amount was P97,521,799.59, and the balance still available for obligation until Sept 12, 2021 was P21,676,971.14.

The appropriations listed for the P119,198,771 as of Sept 30 are:

-Under Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) Welfare Goods Expenses-P31,000,000;

-Drugs and Medicine Expenses-P9.8 million;

Medical-Dental and Laboratory Expenses-P47,447,980;

-Other supplies and materials expenses-P1,317,685;

Representation Expenses-P4,030,950;

Repair and Maintenance-buildings and other structures-P3,422,271;

other maintenance and operating expenses-P165,000 (for a total of P98,483,886).

Spending under Property Paint and Equipment (PPE), Medical Equipment totaled P6,664,520.41; for Buildings and other Structures-P14,050,364.59 (for a total of P20,714,885.00).

The report also said that there are three other disbursements totaling P56,571,000.00 (presently under cash advances for emergency purchases, for practicality) to be eventually charged to the obligated amount of the grants, once these are fully liquidated.

But Gamboa said that what was submitted to the SP “cannot achieve anything at all in terms of decision making analysis and final data-based decisions, it is useless as an evaluation tool and therefore no strategy can be formulated for the people’s health, well-being and survival from the dreaded COVID-19 infection from such a “listahan”.”

Gamboa said “a liquidation report is supposed to present in exact figures detailing reasonable expenses incurred, cash equivalent spent to cover said expenses, corresponding items or merchandise purchased and complete data of suppliers existence and location.”

In other words, what is needed for the Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP) perusal is a “detailed breakdown” provided in the liquidation report, where an itemized list of programs and suppliers are listed and the number of units and cost are accurately indicated and not just a “General Lump Sum” reporting, he added.

He cited that Ceballos submitted a progress report about quarantine and isolation facilities.

However, “both are different, should not be confused and conceptually interchanged. A quarantine facility is where suspects and probable patients are awaiting swab test results.  This includes the LSIs (Locally Stranded Individuals) and OFWs (Overseas Filipino workers) who are also awaiting their swab test results.”

He further said that “confirmed positive patients, from mild, to moderate and severe, however, are confined in a medical isolation facility, as this facility is complete with ICU beds, sufficient equipment and PPEs, availability of appropriate COVID-19 medicines, manned by trained medical specialists and trained personnel, negatively pressurized rooms for the safety of attending health workers and finally, reasonable compensation for said workers including doctors.”

Gamboa lamented that as early as April 2020, he had strongly urged the City to construct said medical isolation facility to improve the critical utility rate and thus save lives especially among the indigents and decongest private hospitals from overcrowding.

It is lamentable that such facility had never been constructed until to date, he said.

“I am requesting for a detailed breakdown report of the amount disbursed under Special Cash Advances from the Bayanihan Grant of P119,198,771, in the amount of P38,571,000; P15,000,000 and P3,000,000, respectively, for a total of P56,571,000.00 Special Cash Advances.”