COA affirms R7.83-M fund disallowance for teachers in CamSur

NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur — The Commission on Audit (COA) has affirmed with finality a decision to disallow some R7.83 million in allowances and honoraria granted by the Camarines Sur provincial government to locally-hired temporary teachers and personnel it assigned to the Department of Education (DepEd) division in the province eight years ago.

In a resolution issued recently by the Commission Proper, COA denied for lack of merit a motion for reconsideration to its previous decision on the issue, saying that the Notice of Disallowance COA issued in 2011 is “affirmed with finality.”

Former Camarines Sur governor and now Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte had sought a reversal of the notice of disallowance in provincial government expenses of R7,838,402.33 which were spent to pay allowances and honoraria for temporary teaching and nonteaching personnel it hired in 2009.

The province hired temporary teaching and non-teaching personnel to handle extension classes for students that could not be accommodated in the regular classes manned by regular teachers of the DepEd Division of Camarines Sur.

The audit team leader (ATL) issued the notice of disallowance as it was noted that under a joint circulars issued by the Department Education, Department of Budget Management and Department of Interior and Local Governments in 1998, 2000 and 2001 provides that salaries and allowances and personnelrelated benefits to be taken from the SEF should be limited to those hired in order to handle new classes as extension of existing public elementary and secondary schools established and approved by DepEd.