By Ben R. Rosario
The Commission on Audit saw nothing wrong in the P1.9 million in expenses incurred by the Supreme Court in hosting the 3rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Chief Justices Meeting in 2015 that impeachment complainant lawyer Lorenzo Gadon considers a splurge and useless use of people’s taxes.
The expenses included impeachment respondent Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno being billeted at the presidential villa of the classy Shangrila-Boracay, it was gathered.
During the continuation of the hearing on probable cause of the impeachment complaint filed by Gadon, Supreme Court finance and procurement officers admitted the absence of a competitive public bidding for transactions on expenses that covered the international conference on Boracay Island.
Questioned by Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso, vice chairman of the House Committee on Justice, Deputy Court Administrator Thelma Bahia and SC procurement chief Ma. Carina Cunanan revealed that no public bidding was conducted in connection with the hotel billeting transaction.
Bahia, it was gathered, is the head of the SC Bids and Awards Committee. “Hindi po nagdaan sa procurement sa BAC. I don’t know what process dumaan,” Bahia responded to Veloso’s query.
However, Corazon Flores, chief of the fiscal management and budget office, noted that CoA made no adverse audit observation when the expenditures were examined on post-audit.
Flores opined that with CoA clearing the expenses as allowable disbursements, there is no reason to declare any irregularity in transactions.
“I can’t say for certain that there was no bidding because we don’t have supporting documents, but we can assure you that our finance and accounting division that our documentary requirements were complied with,” said Flores.
“We didn’t get a notice of disallowance from the Commission on Audit so our presumption was that the transaction was regular and the papers were complete at that time,” Flores added.