Mauban Covid-19 facilities audit sought
At present, the facilities are considered ‘white elephant’ of Mauban as they stood idle without any use and their hospitals equipment are exposed at the mercy of nature
A village chief in Mauban town, Quezon province is urging the Commission on Audit to conduct a probe on the multimillion peso Covid-19 facility buildings constructed literally on top of the mountain in Mauban.
Barangay Cagsiay I chairperson Danilo Pastrana disclosed that he has already sent a letter to CoA chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba requesting the agency to conduct a special audit to the particular projects which is necessary to immediately determine the regularity of its implementation.
At present, the facilities are considered “white elephant” of Mauban as they stood idle without any use and their hospital equipment are exposed at the mercy of nature, according to Pastrana.
Officials of the Quezon Power Plant and the San Buenaventura Power Plant estimated the funds they released to the barangay for the projects under Energy Regulation 01-94 pegged at P42 million.
Pastrana — not related to incumbent Mauban Mayor Erwin Pastrana — said that the construction of the facilities on top of the mountain is beyond comprehension, considering that they cannot be transform into an ordinary hospitals or clinics as the patients need to brave their way up on the steep road.
Cagsiay I is the host barangay of the two coal-fired power plants. Being the most adversely affected, it received several funds from power plants operations aside from the huge shares in real property taxes.
However, the CoA has recently released its Audit Report on 31 December 2022 where it stated that the barangay “failed to submit, among other documents, the Financial Transaction Documents for the past 11 years leading into conclusions that hundreds of millions have been dissipated during the period.”
State auditors gave Rogelio Manrique and Myla Jacalne, former barangay chairman and treasurer, respectively, to submit the required documents within 60 days but it has already lapsed.