Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. INQUIRER file photo
The previous Arroyo administration has yet to account for almost P1 billion in cash advances for official travels made in its last few months in power, from 2009 to early 2010, the Senate learned Wednesday.
Senator Franklin Drilon, chairman of the Senate finance committee, said the unliquidated funds included P594 million spent on foreign and local travel in 2009 alone based on a report from the Commission on Audit (COA).
In a committee hearing, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa also said Malaca帽ang had uncovered an additional P367.3 million in cash advances for travel released in 2010 which remained unliquidated as of August 31 this year.
鈥淲e noticed also 鈥� that the bulk of these advances pertain to foreign travels of the former President (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo),鈥� Ochoa said, also citing COA鈥檚 findings.
The figures came up during Senate deliberations on the proposed 2012 budget of the Office of the President (OP) and its attached agencies.
Disbursing officers
Ochoa said efforts to identify and run after the concerned, jet-setting officials had been hampered because disbursing officers coterminous with the previous administration could not be immediately reached
鈥淲e have yet to come out with the list (of delegates who have not yet liquidated their advances).聽 I understand from the career officials who remain under the Office of the President that there were numerous disbursing officers who were assigned or who received cash advances,鈥� Ochoa told senators.
鈥淲e have initiated some efforts trying to dig up the names of persons who joined the foreign travels,鈥� the Palace official added.
The secretary said he was also told that a distinction was made between 鈥減aying鈥� and 鈥渘onpaying鈥� delegates during the trips headed by then President Arroyo.
鈥淭he paying members are supposed to pay the cash advance extended to them by the Office of the President,鈥� Ochoa noted.
No official list
鈥淗owever, it appeared when we were inquiring about this that there was no record at all (of) who were part of the delegation of the former President whenever she traveled abroad.聽 There was no official list, so the members of the delegation only became known if they voluntarily paid or reimbursed the government for whatever expense they incurred during those travels,鈥� Ochoa explained.
So far, Drilon said, he had established聽 that Malaca帽ang had a 鈥渢otal actual disbursement鈥� of P940.1 million for local and foreign trips in 2009, based on COA records.
From this, P848.1 million was spent on foreign travel while the balance was used for local trips, he said.
In a press conference after the hearing, Drilon noted that the 2009 allocation approved by Congress for travel under the OP was 鈥渙nly P244.6 million.鈥�
Impunity, abuse
鈥淭hat the figures show that there are still some P594 million unliquidated as of yearend 2009 demonstrates the lack of respect of the previous administration for the appropriations law,鈥� the senator said.
鈥淚n other words, notwithstanding the fact that only a little more than P200 million was the approved budget for travel expenses, a total of P940 million was spent, that is the kind of impunity and abuse committed,鈥� Drilon said.
鈥淭here was absolutely no respect for the appropriation authorized by Congress.聽 They just disregarded (it) and just spent whatever amount they felt was needed,鈥� he added.
As to travels made in 2010, Ochoa said an internal accounting conducted by his office showed that 鈥渁s of Dec. 31, 2010, the unliquidated cash advances (that year) had a total of P571,190,306.鈥�
Ochoa said liquidations had so far covered聽 P203,897,511 or a mere fraction of the total as of Aug. 31 this year, leaving a huge balance of P367,292,795.