Bacolod City – Sagay City Treasurer Juvy Pinongan has been ordered by the Commission on Audit to liquidate the P22 million Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) that was intended for health workers who rendered services during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to City Administrator Ryan Bonghanoy.
This was the result of the discovery by COA representatives on October 4, that the Sagay City Treasurer’s Office vault, which was opened in the presence of Mayor Narciso “Narwin” Javelosa, and staff of City Legal Office and CTO, was empty.
Pinongan is in hot water for failure to distribute the remaining P7.3 million of the P22 million HEA for Sagay City health workers.
Javelosa earlier said he was told by Pinongan that she forgot the combination of the vault where the money was allegedly being kept.
The Sagay City Legal Office is preparing an affidavit complaint against Pinongan, for endorsement to the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), in connection with the missing P7.3 million from the HEA.
Javelosa said he initially borrowed P7.3 million to pay for the HEA of the hospital health workers, while Pinongan is being probed for the missing funds.
On the part of the COA, Bonghanoy said City Treasurer Pinongan will have a criminal liability if she fails to liquidate it within 30 days.
On her present status, he added that Pinongan is still reporting for duty.
He explained that the hiring of a City Treasurer Officer is within the jurisdiction of the BLGF.
Until we have an order coming from BLGF replacing the treasurer, she (Pinongan) is still the CTO, he added. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds)