Embattled Malabon City Mayor Jeannie Sandoval on Thursday assured the citizens of the city that the local government will provide the necessary documents and information according to the requirements of the Commission on Audit (CoA) to settle the issue of suspension as soon as possible.
In a statement to DAILY TRIBUNE, Sandoval strongly denied any allegation of corruption after the CoA issued a notice of suspension related to the P10 million spent during the official visit of their delegation to Tokyo, Japan on 17 to 23 December 2023.
On 4 September 2024, the said notice was issued, but Sandoval clarified that it was only part of the normal process and there was no irregularity.
“There is no sign of anomaly here, as the travel was an important move for the betterment of Malabuenos,” Sandoval said.
She added that the learning visit aimed to obtain innovative knowledge and solutions from Tokyo, including its advanced urban planning and disaster management systems which can be implemented for the development of Malabon.
Sandoval was accompanied by several councilors and city officials and according to her the notice of suspension was issued only because of the cash advances made for the trip, and not because of any questionable spending.
“The notice was issued because there are documents missing or unsigned which is needed to clear the transaction. But the complete details of the expenses were already submitted in the liquidation report,” the mayor explained.
She also stressed that although it was mentioned in the Notice of Suspension that there are no appropriations for traveling expenses-foreign for the calendar of 2023, the funds for travel expenses are clearly allocated in the supplemental budget, even if it is not written for local or foreign travel.
Sandoval stressed that the general allocation of travel expenses was under the same local and foreign travel, the trip is included in the Programs, Projects, and Activities which is attached to the approved supplemental budget.