THE House Committees on Public Accounts and on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms on Wednesday resumed their joint inquiry into the alleged illegal expenditures of the Provincial Government of Cagayan and on the inaction of the Commission on Elections into the distribution of cash and other forms of assistance to registered voters and barangays during the campaign period from March 25 to May 9, 2022. Committee on Public Accounts Chairperson Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano said the panel would examine the bank accounts transactions of the provincial government during the prohibited period to trace the cashflow and uncover any illegal utilization of public funds.
Representatives from the Land Bank of the Philippines, who processed the cash advances made by provincial government employees, however, refused to answer questions invoking Republic Act (RA) 1405 or the country’s bank secrecy law, as advised to them by the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel.
Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores, Vice Chair of the Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, said that the inquiry has revealed many issues, especially on cash bonds, underscoring the urgent need to amend existing guidelines. Rep. Paduano urged the Commission on Audit and the Bureau of the Treasury to develop a new joint circular to establish clearer guidelines, stressing the impact of these issues on the integrity and effectiveness of the country’s financial management systems. He added that the aforementioned agencies must ensure that individuals designated as special disbursing officers must be qualified and financially capable to be bonded. He said that the joint circular and recommendations to amend policies on cash bonds should be accomplished before the House of Representatives approves House Bill 9548 or the proposed “Revised Government Auditing Code of the Philippines.” The joint probe is being conducted pursuant to House Resolutions 145 and 146, authored by Cagayan Rep. Joseph “Jojo” Lara.
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