MANILA, Philippines ? At least P117.77 million in taxpayers? money were spent on infomercials by government officials who are reportedly eyeing elective posts in the 2010 elections, a Commission on Audit (COA) report showed.

Out of the total, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) incurred the biggest expense amounting to P28.35 million for television ads from 2008 to 2009.

Winnie Rose Encallado, COA director on national government audit, however, stressed that the grand total did not reflect the ?full picture? of expenditures because not all 2008 disbursement vouchers nor contracts for the infomercials were submitted or reported to the internal auditors.

No audit

?This (grand total) only includes what is reported to us by the auditors. The documents will show that the funds (used) have been charged to agency funds. The documents will speak for themselves,? Encallado pointed out.

Encallado particularly cited the office of the Vice President and the Pag-IBIG Fund, where the 2008 documents were not submitted.

She also explained that there was no audit made on the infomercials featuring Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Finance Secretary Margarito Teves because the certifications from auditors and finance officers of the two agencies reveal that ?no public fund was disbursed or used by the officials.?

Aside from Encallado, other COA auditors assigned to 12 government agencies testified Friday before a Manila court which is hearing a petition for the issuance of a writ of injunction against ?political? infomercials using public funds.

Submitted as evidence

The auditors include those assigned to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); the Department of National Defense (DND); the Department of Health (DoH); the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); the Department of Education (DepEd); the Office of the Vice President and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC); the Office of the President; the Public Information Agency (PIA); and the Office of Civil Defense/National Disaster Coordinating Council (OCD/NDCC).

A COA summary of infomercials by government officials from 2008 to 2009 was submitted as evidence to the Manila Regional Trial Court branch 22 Judge Marino dela Cruz Jr.

Also summoned by the court were internal auditors of TESDA; the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor); and the Pag-IBIG Fund. All were issued a subpoena duces tecum to bring documents pertaining to the infomercials believed to have been paid for with public funds.

Encallado pointed out in her testimony that a summary of the reports submitted to her by the agency auditors was prepared, compiled, and consolidated by her office on the request of the Senate committee on Finance chaired by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

The report summary includes Vice President Noli de Castro; Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Bayani Fernando; Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno; Health Secretary Francisco Duque III; Education Secretary Jesli Lapuz; TESDA director general Augusto Syjuco; Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman; Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr; Pagcor Chair Ephraim Genuino; and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay.

Lawyer and petitioner Ernesto Francisco sought the admission as evidence of two thick folders containing specific and itemized documents prepared by the different agency auditors of disbursement vouchers, contracts, and actual print and broadcast infomercials, which were submitted to Santiago?s committee.

2 thick folders

In an interview, Francisco revealed intentions of filing a supplemental complaint against Ebdane, Fernando, Binay and Puno before the court.

?COA Chair Reynaldo Villar asked all auditors to come to court and bring copies of subpoenaed documents, particularly the summaries of expenses for the years 2008 and 2009. These are not complete. Hundreds of millions are being spent for infomercials when this is all for politicking,? Francisco told reporters.