CLARK FREEPORT-Employees of the state-owned Clark Development Corp. (CDC) have slated prayer vigils and protest actions starting this Friday after the Commission on Audit (COA) ordered 720 of them to return some P21.2 million of health insurance benefits they used mostly for hospitalization in 2013.
In a two-page “Notice of Disallowance” dated last Oct. 6 and addressed to CDC President- CEO Arthur Tugade, the COA based in this freeport disallowed “payment of other personnel benefits- health care for the year 2013 amounting to P21,285,464.76.”
The notice, signed by COA audit team leader Imelda Lacson and supervising auditor Danilo Lagason, had a 14- page attachment listing the names of the health insurance beneficiaries with corresponding amount they were told to reimburse, mostly in five figures.
COA resident auditors in this freeport are entitled by CDC to full housing benefits on top of significant allowances.
A CDC union official who asked not to be quoted pending the finalization of protest plans, said that apart from daily prayer vigils during noon time breaks, the CDC workers are considering holding a rally in Malacanang, as Pres. Aquino has the power to reverse the COA ruling.
Among those listed are former CDC Executive Vice President Philip Jose Panlilio who is being required to reimburse P178,833, Vice President Mariz Mandocdoc for P232,411, and even three other CDC employees who have already died.
The COA notice said that the health insurance payments were “ irregular as defined under COA Circular No. 2012-003 dated Oct. 29, 2012” as it cited COA resolutions which “clarified that even GOCC (government owned and controlled corporations) that were SSL (Salary Standardization Law)-exempt did not have complete fiscal autonomy to adopt compensation, allowances and benefits packages without need of seeking approve from the Office of the President, upon recommendation of the Secretary of the Budget and Management.”
The COA notice also said that while the Governance Commission for GOCC ruling that “the principle of non-diminution of benefits applies to compensation, allowance and benefits which have been validly granted in the first place’,” this could not be invoked by the CDC “to legalize the unauthorized grant of compensation items and benefits in the public sector.”
The COA also held CDC Vice President for finance Noel Mananquil and seven other present and past CDC officials as being liable for allowing the health benefits of the personnel. A top CDC workers union official said the COA notice was “most inhuman.”
“Many of those in the list involve persons with continuing illnesses. Many more have children to send to school and now have to contend with this government insensitivity in the midst of financial scandals involving the highest officials in Malacanang,” he lamented.
The union official also noted that the granting of the health benefits was consulted with the COA years ago. “Now, the heads of government financial agencies are trying to outdo each other in raising savings or funds to impress Malacanang at the expense of ordinary workers. This is most insensitive,” he added.
