AFP BANK ACCOUNTS IPINASASARA NG COA

BILANG tugon sa guidelines ng Commission on Audit (COA), isasara ng Department of National Defense (DND) at Armed For­ces of the Philippines (AFP) ang mga bank account na hindi na kailangan.

Ito ang inihayag kahapon ng DND kaugnay sa COA report sa mga natuklasan unclosed AFP bank accounts.

Ayon kay DND Spokesman Director Arsenio Andolong , naglabas na ng direktiba si Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana sa AFP matapos nilang matanggap ang advice mula sa Department of Finance (DOF)

at findings ng COA.
“The DND-AFP has been processing the closure of these accounts in adherence to the COA guidelines. However, some accounts cannot be closed outright as these are the depository accounts for our current projects, most of which are multi-year obligations,“ pahayag ni Andolong.

Kaugnay nito, naipabatid na rin umano ng DND sa DOF at COA ang sitwasyon partikular sa ongoing projects .

Tiniyak din na anumang proyekto ng DND-AFP sa hinaharap ay ila­lagay na lamang sa mga nalalabing authorized accounts.

Nitong nakalipas na Linggo ay pina-alalahanan ng COA ang AFP sa kabiguan maisara ang may 20 unauthorized bank accounts na may total balance na umaabot sa P1.813 billion at sinasabing minamantina ito ng walang pahintulot mula sa Permanent Committee na nilikha sa ilalim ng Administrative Code of 1987.

Kailangan umanong ibalik sa national treasury ang lahat ng balances ng AFP special accounts, fiduciary or trust funds and revolving funds.

Base sa COA finding: “The COA’s breakdown showed that AFP Modernization Act Trust Fund-Central Office (AFPMATF) was responsible for three unauthorized bank accounts with a total balance of P1.346 billion; the AFP Educational Benefit System Office, eight bank accounts with a balance of P347.483 million; AFP Real Estate Office, with two bank accounts with a balance of P84.362 million and the GHQ Central Office with seven bank accounts with a balance of P37.744 million.”

Dahilan upang sulatan din ang AFP ni Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez. VERLIN RUIZ