6 CoA auditors axed for excessive bonuses

Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales has ordered the dismissal from the service of six Commission on Audit auditors for grave misconduct for allegedly receiving additional compensation and bonuses from the Local Water Utilities Administration from 2006 to 2010.

Morales identified them as Juanito Daguno Jr., Proceso Saavedra, Teresita Tam, Corazon Cabotage, Evangeline Sison, and Vilma Tiongson.

Also dismissed were CoA data machine operators Violeta Gamil and Roberto Villa.

The dismissal order carried the additional penalty of permanent disqualification from reemployment in the government service and seizure of their retirement benefits.

Morales said the respondents are also facing graft and corruption charges together with CoA executives Edna Anical, Thelma Baldovino, Evelyn de Leon, Nestorio Ferrera, Zoharayda Obog, Ligaya Principio, Jesusa Punsalan, and Paulino Sarmiento in connection with the multi-million peso grant of additional compensation and bonuses.

Morales also found LWUA executives Lorenzo Jamora, Wilfredo Feleo, Orlando Hondrade, and Daniel Landingin guilty of simple misconduct and were ordered suspended for six months without pay.

Investigation disclosed that Jamora and other LWUA officials approved and signed letters of instructions directing the issuance of checks covering the alleged irregular bonuses for LWUA and CoA personnel from 2006 to 2010 totaling ₱25 million.

Based on the records of the CoA’s human resource office, Anical received ₱789,000, Baldovino, ₱886,000; De Leon, ₱517,000; Daguno, ₱615,000; Ferrera, ₱961,000; Gamil, ₱834,000; Obog, ₱658,000; Principio, ₱642,000; Punsalan, ₱602,000; Saavedra, ₱692,000; Sarmiento, ₱703,000; Tam, ₱592,000; Villa, ₱650,000; Cabotage, ₱542,000; Sison, ₱183,000; and Tiongson, ₱164,000.

The joint resolution narrated that “the amount given were huge and arbitrary” such that a CoA machine operator assigned at LWUA received as much as ₱140,000 and ₱43,000 in November 2006 alone.

They each received bonuses twice a month in November 2006, September and December 2007, September and December 2008, and March 2010.

The resolution added that “their patent disregard of the existing policy of their own institution against the practice of receiving additional compensation cannot be deemed a mere lapse of judgment. Respondents, being State auditors and employees of CoA itself, are presumed to know the prohibition.”

According to Morales, “CoA auditors and employees were obviously motivated by malicious intent to favor self-interest at the expense of the public” and that “their acts are contrary to accepted rules of right and duty, honesty, and good morals.”