Directions in going to Baguio

I was trying to seek directions in going to Baguio City through the internet.
I came accross this site: http://www.aaphilippines.org/_newsdata/5/object/alternate%20route.pdf

Local swine scam exposed

The Commission on Audit has exposed what is deemed to be the local version of the “swine scam” involving top officials of the Dumaguete city agriculture office.
The Commission on Audit (COA) has uncovered several anomalies involving city agriculturist Engr. Alfredo delos Santos and staff in his office, in connection withy the city government’s Swine Fattening–Grow-Now-Pay-Later-Project (GNPLP).
The Swine Fattening Grow-Now-Pay-Later-Project (GNPLP) aims to give recipients the feeds required for swine fattening.
Under this program the recipients, after selling the fattened swine, will pay the value of the feeds they had received, plus one percent.
The COA has found out that there is an unaccounted balance or “shortage” or “deficiency” in the financial records of this project.
The COA has also found out that the beneficiaries of this swine fattening project were the wife of the city agriculturist, and three of his staff.
The COA also discovered that after public funds were released to purchase the swine feeds, not a single centavo has been repaid to the city government, since the repayments by the beneficiaries were diverted and treated as “revolving fund” in the name of the management committee.
“As of December 31, 2007, not a single centavo has been returned to the city,” the COA reported.

Conflict of interest

The city agriculturist, Engr. Alfredo Delos Santos, appears to be suffering from a conflict of interest.
The COA reported: “An examination of the list of recipients/beneficiaries showed three (3) employees of the City Agriculturist’s Office availed of the program.”
The COA reported added: “An immediate member of the OIC City Agriculturist availed of the program five (5) times, for total loaned amount of P62,837.00.”

“Real Intent” questioned

“This fact raises questions as to the real intent of the project considering that this office is the proponent and implementor” said the COA,
The COA said officers of the city agriculturists office should have inhibited themselves from becoming beneficiaries.
In fact, the signatory to the memoranda of this Swine fattening project was the OIC City agriculturist (Engr. Alfredo Delos Santos) himself, thus making the agreements with his family and staff high questionable, the COA said.

Delos Santos defends wife

In response to these COA findings, Engr. Alfredo Delos Santos defended his wife Cleta Delos Santos’ involvement as a major beneficiary of the Swine Fattening Grow-Now-Pay-Later-Project.
Delos Santos downplayed his wife’s involvement saying: “The inclusion of Mrs. Cleta Delos Santos and three other employees as recipient/beneficiaries is incident to their being members of the organization which tended to, and supervised the Grow-Now-Pay-Later-Scheme and the Swine Fattening.”
Engr. Delos Santos explained that in fact, Mrs. Cleta Delos Santos was past president of the RIC Motong, and the President of the Federation of Rural Improvement Club of Dumaguete City for 2006 and 2007.
It was actually the association of Federation of Farmers Association that was the recipients/beneficiaries, but being President of both organizations, it was inevitable that their names would be included as recipient, beneficiaries.

Nothing anomalous

City agriculturist Engr. Delos Santos maintained: “There is nothing anomalous for members, particularly officers of the Federation who are involved in the day-to-day operations of the organization because the administration, supervision and operations are counted on them.”
Delos Santos debunked as “misplaced” and “without basis” the allegations of anomaly regarding the beneficiaries of the swine fattening project involving his wife and three of his staff.

Fund shortage confirmed

Meanwhile, Engr. Delos Santos confirmed the shortage in the swine fattening program amounting to P21,000.00.
In the investigation it appeared that a portion of the feeds intended for the Grow-Now-Pay-Later-Project were “intentionally used” as feeds for the city Farmstead in 2004.
The farmstead caretaker unfortunately, cannot recall how many bags of feeds were used or consumed in feeding the animals in the city farmstead, Delos Santos explained.

Wife also beneficiary in another project

The COA also reported that Mrs. Cleta Delos Santos, the city agriculturist's wife, is also listed as loan beneficiary in another program under the city agriculture office. Records show the wife also loaned from the Plant-Now-Pay-Later-Program, presumably a project similar to the Grow-Now-Pay-Later-Project. Still, six other employees of the city agriculture office were listed as recipients of this project.
Mrs. Cleta Delos Santos must be a very active individual.
Her name crops up in the money-related loan projects in the government department that her husband heads.

City office illegally issuing temporary receipts

When you pay anything to the city government, always demand an official receipt.
Do not accept anything short of the official receipt.
If a city office to whom you paid money issues a temporary receipt in lieu of an official receipt, tell that collecting personnel that this is illegal.
The law, the revised administrative code provides that No payment of any nature shall be received by a collecting officer without immediately issuing an official receipt in acknowledgment thereof.
The government’s accounting and auditing manual explicitly prohibits the issuance of temporary receipts: “At no instance shall temporary receipts be issued to acknowledge receipt of public funds.
The Commission on Audit has discovered that the city agriculturist’s office, crop division, had been issuing temporary receipts (T.R.), instead of official receipts (O.R.) in the sale of crops.
This is illegal, says the COA.
The COA conducted an examination of the file copies of documents kept by Ms. Felicitas A. Barba, Agriculturist II, the center chief, crop division.
The COA found several ORIGINAL copies of already-issued official receipts.
The COA was surprised---or suspicious?--- why already-issued official receipts were still in Ms. Barba’s possession when these official receipts are supposed to be in the possession of crop buyers.
The COA then discovered that what were issued by the office were not official receipts, but only “temporary acknowledgment receipts.”
According to Ms. Barba, upon the sale of crops, the buyers are issued temporary acknowledgement receipts, especially during those times when she is not around.
Ms. Barba continued to explain, that in her absence, she designates a utility worker, named Eddie Apenas to accept sales of crops and instructs him to issue temporary receipts to the buyers, prior to issuance of official receipts which are in her custody.
The COA inquired, why official receipts (already issued) were still in her possession.
Ms. Barba explained these official receipts will be given to the buyers “later”, or when they come back to buy again.
The COA asked whether the office has file copies of the temporary receipts.
None, said Barba.
This is illegal, COA reminded.
This practice may raise suspicions as regards the amounts appearing in the temporary receipts, with that indicated/transferred in the official receipts, the alarmed COA noted.
There is no way to trace and compare the T.R. against the O.R. because there were no file copies of the issued temporary receipts.
The COA also raised the possibility that no official receipts may have been issued for some collections.
If this is the case, to whose pocket do these collections go?
Ms. Barba said she has been recently designated. She is not aware of the regulations.
After the COA discovery, Ms. Barba said the practice of issuing temporary receipts will be stopped.
Here is a possible scenario, as may be feared by the COA: For example, P500 was paid by a buyer. A temporary receipt of P500 is issued (by a utility worker) and given to the buyer. But what if only P100 is “later” written in the official receipt ?
Remember, the COA uncovered issued official receipts in Ms. Barba’s possession.
Is this scenario impossible, improbable, remote?
What’s your answer?

Winner at starbucks

I won a free frap at Starbucks today.
I am in Cebu for a hearing.
I dropped by at Starbucks at the northwing of SM Cebu.
I merely wanted to check the mails on my computer.
So I purchased a Globequest prepaid internet card.
When the cashier at Starbucks punched my transaction, the receipt yielded that I won a free tall drink.
This one is literally cool.
By the way, I ain't a coffee drinker.
But I can say Starbucks is my cup of tea.
I was instructed to go to a website called www.MyStarbucksVisit-ph.com.
I responded to a survey, generally on Starbucks services.
At the end of the survey, I was given a "customer code" in numbers.
I wrote the numebrs on the receipt and handed it back to the cashier.
Then I got my free tall drink, mocha frap.
Nice.

Letter to city agriculturist

I sent a letter to the city agriculturist of Dumaguete City , asking for his side about the report of the Commission on Audit which discloses very disturbing anomalies in this city office. I realized that the anomalies that has plagued the Department of Agriculture (read: Joc Joc Bolante, swin scam, etc.) has trickled down to the local counterparts. Here is the letter:

October 17, 2008

Alfredo de los Santos
City Agriculturist
Dumaguete City

Sir:

May we kindly request your side about the COA report for 2007 which points to certain questionable transactions by the city agriculture office. We intend to await your side on the matter before publication. But please give us your response on or before October 23, 2008.

The COA report for the year 2007 discusses its findings on the city agriculture office on its “Part II – Findings and Recommendations” Nos. 9, 10, 11, 12. A copy of the COA report is available at the COA office where we got our copy.

Specifically we seek your side on the report that your wife, Cleta de los Santos, and city agriculture office employees were recipients/beneficiaries of Plant now pay later scheme, Grow-now-pay later scheme swine fattening.

We also want to know why crops sold in the city agriculture office were so low than usual market prices, and why the city farmstead was a prominent buyer.

We look forward to getting your side.

I can be contacted at Cel phone number 0920-932-6537, or email at elmarjayd@yahoo.com.

Thank you.


Elmar Jay Martin I. Dejaresco
Associate Editor