COA chides DOJ for 43 foreign travels in 2018

The Commission on Audit (COA) has called out the Department of Justice (DOJ) for repeatedly sending 14 of its officials and employees to 43 meetings abroad in 2018, and for using up P6.19 million of its foreign travel budget of P7.82 million.

In its annual audit report, the COA said these officials traveled two to 12 times last year to attend 43 various foreign dialogues. The DOJ also sent two to five representatives to over 20 meetings abroad, for which it incurred travel expenses that reached P5.5 million, the COA added.

Named in the COA report were DOJ Undersecretary Markk Perete, Assistant Secretary George Ortha II, state counsels Analiza Ite-Manito, Bernadette Ongoco, Grace Estrada, Jomarlli Ustarez, Ma. Pamelyn Omalin, Marlyn Angeles, Mary Grace Quintana, Mary Grace Pulido, Mildred Bernadette Alvor, Nancy Lozano, Rosario Elena Laborte-Cuevas and Maria Laureen Suan.

‘Official travels’

The COA also chided the justice department for incomplete travel documents with expenses totaling P771,643.30, and for its failure to comply with the Government Fares Agreement by purchasing airline tickets worth over P1 million through a travel agency .

In a statement, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the trips taken by its officials were “official travels to international conferences of a continuing nature,” including periodic sessions of United Nations agencies, Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional meetings and bilateral negotiations on legal cooperation agreements.”

“Participation in those international events is useful to our government and to the DOJ in particular,” Guevarra said, adding that he would try “to reduce the number of DOJ officials participating in any given delegation.”