COA questions collection of tourist fees in Alegria

CEBU, Philippines —  The Commission on Audit (COA) has called the attention of Alegria town for imposing fees on tourists visiting the canyoneering zone of Kanlaob River despite the absence of a municipal ordinance.

The commission said that without a legal basis for the collection, the imposition of entrance fees would not be legal.

“We recommend that management submit to the concerned auditor the basis for the imposition of entrance and users fees to tourists visiting Kanlaob River and experiencing canyoneering adventure in the place,” COA wrote in its audit report.

In 2017, the municipal government collected P13,255,235 from the canyoneering operations.

Mayor Verna Magallon clarified that the matter has already been settled. She said that the host, Barangay Compostela, already enacted an ordinance designating regular entrance fees for the canyoneering.

“During the exit conference months ago, gitubag na sa municipal accountant-designate namo nga naay municipal ordinance adopting the Barangay Compostela ordinance for the collection of fees sa canyoneering,” she told The FREEMAN.

She said the barangay ordinance has been in effect for about two years. However, she is not certain when the ordinance was exactly adopted by the town's sanggunian.

The FREEMAN tried to reach the barangay to shed light on the amounts and nature of fees collected but to no avail.

Aside from the canyoneering earnings, COA also questioned the municipal government’s failure to submit its Bank Reconciliation Statements (BRS) for 2017. Because of this, the commission said the town violated COA Circular No. 96-011 titled “Modification of Provincial Circular No. 19 dated June 15, 1970.”

COA directed the town's bookkeeper to submit the subject BRS, together with a written explanation on the delayed submission.

COA likewise raised a red flag against Alegria’s practice of letting job order workers participate in cash collection.

“Job order (JO) workers were allowed to handle cash collections in violation of the Civil Service Commission Memorandum Circular No. 12 dated June 14, 2004,” COA wrote.

The commission recommended for the municipal government to fill up the vacant positions for five revenue collection clerks to solve the problem on shortage of regularly-appointed collecting officers. It was also recommended that the function on revenue collection be assigned to permanent employees properly bonded with the Bureau of the Treasury and that the town refrains from designating JO or casual workers.

Magallon assured that they are doing their best to iron things out. — JMD (FREEMAN)