Gov told to return P2.4-M used for personalized calendars

The Commission on Audit (COA) has affirmed an order for Bohol Gov. Edgardo Chatto and five others to return the P2.437 million spent by the province on “personalized” 2011 calendars.

In a decision dated Sept. 17 and made public this week, COA said the purchase was contrary to rules against unnecessary expenses and publicity materials that include the officials’ images.

The COA decision did not explicitly describe whose images were shown in the calendars.

But it noted that the Department of the Interior and Local Government Memorandum Circular No. 308-97 urged governors to include in their calendars “the pictures of their completed projects where human resource development … is a major component instead of their pictures.”