Gwen cancels P72 million disbursement of pork funds

At least 26 vouchers worth P72.8 million were scheduled for disbursement as financial aid to towns in Cebu’s 2nd district, the turf of Rep. Pablo Garcia.

But the amount, sourced from the pork barrel of the congressman, was later cancelled by outgoing Gov. Gwen Garcia.

This was disclosed by Magnificus Cañete, legal counsel of the vice governor’s office, who said the Provincial Treasurer’s Office was told that Gwen decided to cancel the transaction without any explanation.

Cañete said records from the Internal Audit office and Provincial Treasurer’s office showed that Governor Garcia already signed the vouchers which were to be delivered to the cash division for the issuance of checks.

The P72 million, held as a trust fund, was the amount which Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale had worried may be the target of a midnight release when Garcia returned to the Capitol after her six-month suspension.

But the checks can’t be released without being signed by the Provincial Treasurer’s Office and the Provincial Board (PB), said Cañete.

He said the governor would have to sign the papers which would then have to go to the budget office, internal audit office for assessment, then the accounting office for processing of vouchers which would be forwarded to the cash division for the issuance of checks.

It would take three days for the checks to be cleared in a depository bank.

“There’s a new treasurer appointed by the Department of Finance, Ma. Yolanda Cabando and we also need Provincial Board authority for a specimen signature to submit to the bank,” Cañete said.

Even if the checks were approved and released, Cañete said it would take three days to clear with the bank.

“By Monday, it will be Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III who’s in charge,” he said.

Cañete said a trust fund can be released without PB approval because it was mandated for specific purposes.

But it still needs to undergo processing from various offices.

Provincial Treasurer Emmanuel Guial took a leave of absence before Garcia reported back to work on June 19. after a six-month suspension on charges of usurpation of authority imposed by the Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG).

But Garcia recalled the leaves of Guial and other key officials and replaced them with OICs in the last week of her tenure as governor. With a report from Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos