On her last day in office Gwen tries to release father’s PDAF

CEBU, Philippines - Outgoing Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday tried to release the P72.8-million Priority Development Assistance Fund of her father, outgoing Rep. Pablo Garcia, during her last day in office at the Capitol, but she was not able to because of the absence of a provincial treasurer who could sign the voucher until yesterday afternoon.

The Department of Finance ordered last Thursday the replacement of Ofelia Oliva who just assumed as acting provincial treasurer last Wednesday.

Oliva was replaced by Yolanda Cabando who reportedly cannot sign the documents yet due to the absence of her authority to sign.

Garcia submitted the list of local government units in the second district with corresponding amounts as financial assistance to be released for processing.

Dumanjug is set to get the biggest amount at P38.9 million, Argao with P5.6 million, Alcoy with P4 million, Dalaguete with P3.5 million,  P2.5 million each for Badian, Oslob, Moalboal, Malabuyoc and Ronda, and P2 million for Ginatilan.

In Boljoon, barangays South Granada and Lunop are supposed to get P1.2 million each, while barangays San Antonio, Baclayan, Lower Becerril, Granada, Nangka and El Pardo get P200,000 each.

Barangays Poblacion, Compostela and Valencia in Alegria town are supposed to get P500,000 each while Barangay Madridejos gets P1 million.  

The transmittal papers submitted by the budget office were reportedly passed through internal audit and then these were forwarded to the accounting office for vouchers.

The accounting office personnel got a call yesterday afternoon requesting for the cancellation of the processing.

Representative Garcia earlier sought the assistance of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to investigate Vice Governor Agnes Magpale for allegedly withholding the checks as financial assistance to the different municipalities of the second district when the latter assumed office as acting governor last December following the suspension of Governor Garcia for six months.

The suspension ended last June 17 giving Governor Garcia barely two weeks to return to office to finish her term as governor, which lasts until noon tomorrow.

Magpale earlier said that she was just being careful about the release of checks out of the PDAF of Rep. Garcia deposited as trust fund of the Capitol.

Upon the query of Magpale, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad reportedly replied that the Cebu Provincial Government should be the one to supervise the disbursement of Garcia’s congressional funds since it was deposited under its account.

Abad said that Garcia, as the proponent legislator, has the “authority to identify the beneficiaries as well as the priority development programs and projects to be charged against the PDAF.”

Magpale also questioned why Dumanjug gets P55 million while other towns in the second district only have the appropriations ranging from P20,000 to P500,000.

The mayor of Dumanjug, Nelson Garcia, is the son of Rep. Garcia.

This prompted Rep. Garcia to withdraw his request to erase the doubt of Magpale. —/BRP (FREEMAN)