Tarlac City – – High-handed corruption?
This came as the office of embattled Tarlac Schools Division Superintendent Estrelita Cunanan was ordered by the Commission on Audit (COA) to return the “illegal expenses and disbursements”.
The expenses being asked to be refunded were the alleged overpayment of “quarters privileges/rental fee” on the rented house for Cunanan’s use amounting to P80,000 and “overpayment” to Cunanan’s driver of P32,400.
The orders were contained in the COA Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) Nos. 2017-003(16)-TPSDO and No. 2017-002(16)-TPSDO.
The first memo says, “Payment of quarters privilege/rental fee made by the Division Office was not in accordance with Section 61 of the General Provisions of the General Appropriation ACT for FY 2016, DepEd Order No. 19 s. 2006 dated April 26, 2006, and National Budget Circular No. 456 dated November 11, 1996, hence resulted to overpayment amounting to P80,000”.
Apparently, Cunanan overcharged the government for the house rented which she occupies.
COA is requiring Cunanan to return the P80,000 rental overpayment.
The second memo, on the other hand, says, “Payment/reimbursement of travelling expenses to one (1) of the drivers of the Division Office was not in accordance with Section 331 of the Government Accounting and Auditing Manual (GAAM), Volume I and Executive Order No. 298 (Travel Law), hence, resulted of overpayment amounting to P32,000”.
The memo also says, there was P32,000 overpayment to the driver of Cunanan, because, “most of these travelling expenses were incurred during travels of the OIC-SDS (Cunanan) from her residence (leased premises/quarters) to DepEd-Division of Tarlac Province (permanent station) which (were) not official travel(s) for there were no actual performance of official duties”.
Cunanan’s office is also being ordered to return the P32,000 overpayment.
Earlier, Cunanan hugged the news when the 17-member Municipal Mayors League of Tarlac headed by Moncada Mayor Lita Aquino signed a resolution seeking the transfer of the OIC SDS.
Aquino said in an earlier interview, “our (Mayors’ League) resolution was based from the numerous complaints brought before us by school supervisors, principals and teachers. We only acted on their complaint”.
The mayors’ resolution states 14 issues of “misconduct, abuse of authority and alleged corruption” of Cunanan.
Sought for comment, a school principal who requested her name withheld, said, “matagal na kaming pinapahirapan ni SDS, bakit hanggang ngayon nandyan pa rin siya sa kabila ng napakaraming corruption issues at pang-aabuso na ginawa niya? Siya ay napaka-corrupt, abusado at maraming mal-practice(s) kagaya ng mga irregular teachers’ rating record”.
The same principal also revealed that, allegedly, Cunanan was also petitioned to be transferred when she was assigned in the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Bulacan because of similar issues complained against her.
The mayors’ resolution was submitted to the Secretary of the DepEd and to the offices of Tarlac congressmen Charlie Cojuangco, Victor Yap, and Noel Villanueva.
Unconfirmed report says, Cunanan has already received a “Transfer Letter” that will effective January next year. /By: Nelson Bolos