MANILA, Philippines –  The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) paid P32.5 million for the rental fees of motorcycles used in intelligence and surveillance operations, but did not provide the Commission on Audit (COA) all the needed documents for the expense.

This was among  the observations of the Commission on Audit (COA) in its 2017 PDEA audit report.  

The PDEA explained to state auditors that some of the documents related to the motorbike rentals are confidential in nature, but the latter insisted that such transactions are subject to COA audit.

Aside from questions on the motorcycle rentals, the COA also found that the PDEA issued  nearly 900 guns which, again, lack proper documentation.

Isidro Lapeña headed the PDEA from the onset of the Duterte administration until September 2017, when he was moved to the Bureau of Customs. Retired police general Aaron Aquino has been PDEA chief since then. 

Motorcycles

In 2017, PDEA paid P32.5 million to JET Trading for rent of motorcycles which were used “mostly for intelligence/surveillance operations of the agency.” 

The payments were sourced from the agency’s regular and trust funds.

“Details of the transactions such as specific area of operation, vehicle plate numbers, complete description of the vehicles, and such other documents necessary in the auditorial review were not attached,” COA said.

COA is looking for documents that would show not only details of the payments for motorcycle rentals, but also details of the operations that the motorcycles were used for.

PDEA told COA that the documents are “confidential and and thus will only be made available upon prior approval and security clearance.”

In response, COA said:  “Since these expenses were paid out of public funds, i.e., regular and trust funds, and recorded as Other Maintenance and Operating Expenses under the Rents – Motor Vehicles account, these are subject to auditorial review.  Thus, the agency has the responsibility to present proof that the expenses were valid and made in pursuance of the purpose for which the funds used were appropriated.”

COA urged PDEA to submit the documents as needed, and reminded the agency that it had once issued a notice of suspension on undocumented rental of motorcycles. 

Guns

State auditors also said that 898 or 64% of the 1,403 firearms issued by PDEA were not supported by property acknowledgment receipts (PARs).

PARs are required under COA’s Government Accounting Manual, and are used to “pinpoint responsibility.”

“Without a PAR,  management would find it difficult to identify the agency personnel who would be liable in case of loss or theft considering that firearms are high risk items susceptible to theft or loss because of their portable nature and appeal for personal use or resale.  Thus, management controls should be in place to ensure that all units issued are accounted for,” COA said.

Auditors also noted that of the 505 firearms with PARs, 244 have unsigned PARs which still violated the government accounting manual and led COA to conclude that “accountabilities were not properly established.”

The guns vary from shotguns to assault rifles. All in all, the PDEA’s inventory shows it has 1,521 units of firearms which have a total cost of P89.216 million.

In its response to COA, the PDEA said some of the PARs that they sent to regional offices for signing of the end users have not returned to the headquarters. COA recommended that PDEA improve procedures on firearms accountability. – Rappler.com