When the Aquino administration ended its term in 2016, it left a total amount of P155.7 million of unliquidated funds, or funds that are yet to be furnished where it was spent.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has reported that the mentioned amount was left by the previous administration, under former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. The amount is yet to be liquidated by the Office of the President (OP).
This information has been included at the COA audit report released last July 11 of this year.
However, COA also stated that the liquidation report should have been filed last December 31, 2016.
COA disclosed that P138 million from the total unliquidated amount has been allotted to the travel expenses of the president during the duration of 2011 to 2015. The said amount spent for travels had been transferred to Philippine embassies and consulates.
"Since all presidential foreign trips during the past administration were completed, the said amount should have been expended. However, settlement thereof could not be made due to the non-submission of the liquidated reports or the disbursement reports of the authorized Special Disbursing Officers of the DFA," COA said on its 2016 OP audit report.
In addition, the remaining P17.7 million has been transferred to agencies which were suspiciously abolished by former President Aquino in the very first year of his term.
In November and December 2010, then President Aquino signed two Executive Orders abolishing agencies which received the total amount of P17.7 million.
The abolished agencies are the following:
Presidential Anti-Graft Commission
Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group
Mindanao Economic Development Council
Minerals Development Council
Luzon Urban Belt Super Region
Office of the North Luzon Quadrangle Area
Office of the Presidential Adviser on New Government Center
Bicol River Basin Watershed Management Project
Office of the External Affairs
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change
According to the signed Executive Orders, these agencies should have finished their projects and operations and liquidated their expenses, including their full report of assets and liabilities, before fully terminating their identities as agencies.
The Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group received the biggest amount of transferred funds which is P9.9 million and it still remains unliquidated as of December 2016.
Next is the Luzon Urban Belt Super Region which received P5.9 million worth of funds.
Moreover, there were also agencies created from previous administrations that had received fund transfers. These agencies are are now abolished or are now non-existing.
A total amount of P16.1 million which also remains unliquidated was also spent and transferred to these agencies from other administrations. This amount was not included in the P155.7 million during the Aquino administration.
The Aquino administration seemed to have been thoroughly investigated as negative reports about former president Aquino recently emerged. In addition to this issue with COA, recent report have revealed that the Office of the Ombudsman is to file a case against former President Aquino on his involvement in the Mamasapano massacre.
Source: Rappler
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