ROXAS CITY, CAPIZ – Mayor Ronnie Dadivas here is filing a case against Capiz Provincial Administrator Edwin Monares over the latter’s alleged malicious Facebook post about the city’s Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) from Commission on Audit (COA).
Monares through his Facebook account posted a copy of COA’s audit report with a caption, “The Liberal Party in Capiz is questioning the AOM of COA involving the amount of 241M for medicines and medical supplies and 17.5M that was merely listed on a different account. These politicians with the brand of LYING and DECEIVING the people of Capiz are now telling everyone that the provincial government is corrupt as evidenced by the AOM. Our concerned official has (sic) answered this already. If the Liberal Party is to believe (sic) in their LIES and DECEPTIONS, then how could the City Government under the leadership of an LP stalwart explain the 1.336 billion, not a millions subject of AOM?”
Dadivas, in a statement, said Monares’ Facebook was “highly malicious, and intended to impute, even without proof, false accusation, and intentionally put discredit or dishonor on the very character and integrity” of the city mayor as well as, on the good name of the Roxas City Government.
“We will exhaust all legal remedies para maleksyunan si PA Monares. Ang iya malisyoso, iresponsabli, binutig nga post kag pagpabangud nga wala sang pruweba gintuyo niya nga samadon kag higkuan angakon karakter kag integridad lakip na ang maayo nga ngalan sang Roxas City Government,” said Dadivas.
Dadivas explained, addressing to Monares, that the ₱1.336 billion, subject of the AOM, actually pertains to Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) Account Balance (net depreciation) amounting to ₱1,336,054,216.57 as of Dec. 31, 2020.
PPE is all about the fixed assets of the Roxas City Government, which includes: buildings, machinery, land, office equipment, furniture, and vehicles.
This was mentioned on AOM No. 2021-004 dated Feb. 17, 2021, which says that “the annual physical inventory of (PPE) was not conducted and report on the physical count was not submitted to the Audit Team, thus resulted in difficulty in ascertaining the existence, condition, completeness, and correctness of the PPE account balance…”
Dadivas noted that based on this finding, COA has recommended remedial measures which
include, among others, to prepare the Report on the Physical Count of Property, Plant, and Equipment (RPCPPE) and expedite the inventory-taking following the prescribed procedures.
These recommendations of the COA, he added, have already been addressed by the current administration of the Roxas City Government.
Dadivas further emphasized that this PPE account balance (net depreciation) is an accumulated value of the PPE since the past or previous administrations.
As COA observed, there was a failure to properly record and inventory these PPE, which during the current administration, this matter has been properly addressed by placing appropriate measures and systems and procedures as prescribed by the COA.
“Thus, it was very malicious and highly irresponsible on the part of PA Monares to equate the issue subject of their AOM, which according to him, involves medicine and medical supplies, to the AOM issued to the Roxas City Government, which essentially involves only the inventory of Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) owned by the City Government. To importantly underscore, this AOM on Property, Plant, and Equipment (PPEs) to the Roxas City Government does not speak of money or questionable expenditures or any disbursement of funds, especially during the administration of Mayor Ronnie T. Dadivas.
Dadivas further explained that the total appropriation for the 2020 Budget of the Roxas City Government was only ₱1 Billion, as per Appropriation Ordinance No. 093 – 2019.
“Hence, it would be farcical to maliciously insinuate or impliedly suggest, as what PA Monares did, that Mayor Ronnie Dadivas did something irregular, which requires his explanation, concerning the alleged amount of ₱1.336 Billion subjects of COA’s AOM. As the two figures would suggest, PA Monares’ accusation is not fiscally feasible,” Dadivas added in a statement.
The city mayor lamented that this incident is very unfortunate, especially during this time of the pandemic, as it will put more strain on the relationship of the Capiz Provincial Government and the Roxas City Government./PN
