No adverse COA findings

THE series of bad news on Ormoc’s decreased Internal Revenue Allotment and reduced windfall from EDC’s realty tax has been disheartening to Mayor Eric “Beboy” Codilla who is so passionate to bring development to his beloved city. But there also has been some welcome news lately that could boost his spirits.

First is the establishment of sisterhood ties between Ormoc and Hawai’i which has the potential to open up trade and tourism activities between the two cities. Second is the recent announcement that Ormoc is the only city in Region 8 stamped with the Seal of Good Housekeeping by the DILG.

The Seal of Good Housekeeping is a form of recognition to a local government unit’s (LGU) good performance in internal housekeeping in the areas of planning, transparency and accountability, sound fiscal management, and valuing performance management.

This serves as another testament to Mayor Beboy’s clean leadership and governance. How so? Looking at the criteria set by the DILG, the qualification for being a recipient lies on the LGU’s compliance with the Anti-Red Tape Act and Full Disclosure Policy. This means the LGU should be transparent to the public on its dealings and transactions.

And get this: another important criterion is the absence of an adverse report from the Commission on Audit (Coa). This information is important considering the malversation case filed against Mayor Beboy which accuses him of violating Coa’s accounting and auditing rules.

The fact that the case is filed by Richard Gomez’s cabal makes it dubious already. Being transparent that his is, Mayor Beboy didn’t try to sweep the issue under the rug nor evade it. Without waiting for media to confront him, he immediately faced the Ormocanons and answered the accusations to show he has nothing to hide.

Officials of the City Accounting, Budget and Treasurer’s Offices clarified that the so-called discrepancies contained in the Annual Audit Reports (AAR) are procedural in nature especially on accounting entries, most of which have been corrected already. It is also worth noting that the AAR didn’t find any illegal disbursement.

The Ormocanons believed Mayor Beboy’s explanation as proven by the dismal failure of Richard Gomez’s signature drive for a recall election. Further weakening their cause is the withdrawal of Barangay Captain Samson C. Doguiles as one of the complainants of the case.

And now comes the Seal of Good Housekeeping. Take note that Ormoc is the only city out of six cities in the region stamped with this Seal. Surely the DILG is aware of Mayor Beboy’s case, publicized as it is in the media. This bolsters the suspicion that the case is politically motivated.

Gomez and his ilk would like to paint the City Hall as a cloak-and-dagger institution for corruption, but the DILG thinks otherwise. In fact, one requirement Ormoc was able to comply is the posting of 12 important documents on fund utilization, procurement and other financial transactions for public consumption.

Really now, how can anyone malverse funds in such an open climate? But the sour grapes simply refuse to give up. We heard from our mole at the congressional office that Gomez will try to convince Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo to withdraw the citation from Ormoc which is very unlikely.

Considering his apparent jealousy with Codilla family, it would be interesting to see Richard’s reaction when Mayor Beboy receives the plaque from President Noynoy Aquino next month on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Local Government Code. What a slap on his face. Pak!
(WLWE issue of Sept. 5-11, 2011)