COA orders MWSS officials to return P8 million in meal allowances

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COA orders MWSS officials to return P8 million in meal allowances
The Commission on Audit says MWSS officials defaulted on the petition for review by sending the petition 362 days after receiving the notices – more than double the 180-day allowance

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) denied a petition for review by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Corporate Office over disallowed meal allowances.

MWSS sought to lift 4 notices of disallowance (ND) issued June 30, 2014 on P8,173,730 paid out as meal allowances in 2012 and 2013.

The 3-page decision, dated February 20 and released in March, junked the motion. COA Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo and commissioners Jose Fabia and Roland Pondoc found MWSS officials defaulted by filing 362 days after the notices were received. This is more than double the 180-day allowance.

The petitioners were: 

  • Former MWSS administrator Gerardo A.I. Esquivel
  • Former senior deputy admnistrator Nathaniel C. Santos,
  • Deputy administrators Zoilo L. Andin Jr. and Leonor C. Cleaofas
  • Legal Services Department manager Darlina T. Uy
  • Site Operation Management Department manager Jose D. Dorado, Jr.
  • Policy, Planning, and Public Relations Department manager Ronald S. Abrigo,
  • Operations Support Department manager Anabella S. Altuna
  • Property Department manager Vicente A. Elefante
  • Internal Audit Department manager Florendo B. Batasin, Jr.
  • Internal Audit Department assistant manager Bienvenido A. Sarmiento.
  • Corporate secretary Ma. Lourdes R. Naz
  • Chief corporate attorney Benedicto R. Arellano
  • Head technical assistant Maria Clarissa A. Laysa
  • Technical assistants David Joseph B. Articulo, Rose Brigitte T. Layno, and Ryan James V. Ayson
  • Executive assistant Cecille V. Bautista
  • Project management officer Evangeline B. Dacanay
  • Agency officers Orlando F. Bautista, and Maria G. Mendoza

“Based on the foregoing, petitioners had already exhausted the reglementary period of six months or 180 days to file the Petition for Review. Petitioners did not offer any plausible explanation for the extended delay in filing this appeal. Thus, this Commission finds no compelling reason to justify the relaxation of its rules of procedures,” the COA said.

COA also said that even if the petition was made within the allowed time, “it would still be denied because the power of the MWSS Board of Trustees is not absolute and plenary, particularly in the grant of additional allowances to its personnel.”

COA explained the MWSS had to follow the guidelines of the Salary Standardization Law (RA 6758), which says that allowances and fringe benefits on top of basic salaries are already deemed integrated into standardized salary rates.

As such, the MWSS needed the approval of the Office of the President before it could enact additional compensation, such as the meal alllowances.

COA also noted the Department of Budget and Management excluded meal allowances in its 2012 and 2014 Corporate Operating Budgets (COBs) due to a lack of clearance from the Office of the President.

“Given the DBM statements in the COBs as well as prior NDs on other benefits, the MWSS officials and employees cannot claim good faith as they have already been made aware of the limits of the authority of the MWSS officials to grant additional compensation, including meal allowance,” COA explained. – Rappler.com

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