DepEd wasted P2.1 million for unnecessary travels

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Education in Central Visayas wasted over P2 million public funds for unnecessary local and foreign travels in 2009.

The Commission on Audit found out that DepEd-7 officials spent a total of P2.1 million for their travels even if these were not necessary and therefore a violation of the government's austerity measures.

State auditors quoted Administrative Order No. 103 dated August 31, 2004 sus-pending all local and foreign travels unless "urgently necessary."

In its annual audit report, state auditors discovered that education officials in the region spent P695,452 during the study tours in Singapore and Malaysia on October 4 to 10, 2009, Benchmarking study on curriculum of regional directors in New Zealand on November 21 to 28, 2009, and for attending the 2009 Alternative Learning System con-sultative conference in Bangkok, Thailand on November 23 to 28.

COA said that the travel to Malaysia, Singapore and in other foreign countries, which involved observation and study visit on Madrasah Education cannot be classified under the instances when a foreign travel can be undertaken as cited in the General Ap-propriations Act.

DepEd Lapu-Lapu City division also spent P498,804 when its officials attended the mainstreaming and institutionalizing workshop in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and observed schools implementing the school-based financial management program for institutionalization in schools within the region in Macau, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Aside from foreign trips, DepEd officials in Mandaue City also spent P100,600 to travel to Bohol to visit the pilot implementers of Strengthening Implementation of Basic Education in Selected Provinces in Visayas Project or DepEd-Bohol Strive program.

State auditors said that the cash advance granted to Narcisa P. Guido, DepEd Mandaue supervisor, for site visit in Bohol last April 7, 2009, was "irregular and unnec-essary" because the travel was not approved by the regional director.

Then it was also learned that Mandaue City was not identified for the Strive pro-ject for the school-year 2009-2010.

"Under this circumstance, the travel undertaken cannot be considered as urgent and necessary," the COA said.

State auditors told DepEd officials to adhere to the provisions of the law and other regulations to avoid waste of funds. (FREEMAN)