P1.385 billion annual budget in good hands — Belen
PAST FRAUDULENT TRANSACTIONS OF MAYOR BRIAN CITED
MAYOR Belen Fernandez did not mince words in her reply to the call of Councilor Celia Lim to the people of Dagupan to be vigilant and help the opposition monitor the usage of the P1.385 billion annual budget.
In retort, Fernandez said she wishes the people of Dagupan and the Commission on Audit can review her programs and projects since she became mayor in 2013, and to do the same for the expenditures of her predecessor when her son, Brian Lim, became mayor until 2022.
At a press conference where was joined by Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, Councilors Michael Fernandez, Jeslito Seen, Dennis Canto and Bradley Benavidez : “Kaya lang, noong panahon nila, hindi yata sila nabantayan ng COA.”
She cited a litany of illegal transactions entered into by the past Lim administration, from the ghost delivery of two motorboats worth close to P1 million (whose disallowance by COA came after more than one year) to the purchase of the P15 million CCTV cameras, 70 percent of which were defective and could not be used.
She said the purchase of overpriced, defective and out modeled Lenovo computer tablets with an overprice of P27,000 per unit that cost the city more than P34 million, worse, 24 units were missing in boxes, and not reported to COA.
Fernandez said funding the computer tablets came from the P30 million earmarked for a three-storey science building of the Dagupan City National High School.
“How come, COA did not do anything about all these. These were not only big financial losses to the city but lost opportunities to all the stakeholders,” the mayor said.
“We learned about ghost motorboats when we were looking for the motorboats that will pick up garbage from the island barangays to the city proper. We found out that despite their non-delivery, these were paid by the accounting office and the voucher was signed by then Mayor Brian Lim,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said these fraudulent transactions of the past Lim administration were kept away from the public and COA.
“I can assure Councilor Lim that lahat ng gastusin ay pupunta sa dapat na kalagyan at hindi ako magsasayang kahit isang sentimo,’, Fernandez intoned. (Leonardo Micua)
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