COA: 20 Pasay consultants must return ‘excess’ P259,000

The Commission on Audit has ordered 20 consultants of the Pasay City government to return a total of P258,571.79 to the government in excess payments made before their contracts were even signed.

In a decision released earlier in the week, COA denied the petition for review filed by Mayor Antonio Calixto and human resources office officer in charge Maverick Sevilla.

It said the appeal on the Sept. 8, 2011 notices of disallowance (ND) was filed way past the 180-day deadline.

Even if COA resolved the case on the merits, it said it would have upheld the ND because of the “patent violation” of the Government Accounting and Auditing Manual.

The manual, the commission stressed, states that contracts cannot take effect earlier than the date of execution or signing of the contracts by both parties.

According to COA’s 2010 annual audit report on the Pasay City government, 12 of the consultants were assigned to the Office of City Administrator, seven to the City Mayor, and one to the Treasurer. —Vince F. Nonato