QC barangay officials suspended over ₱22M in unresolved audit findings

The Office of the Ombudsman issued preventive suspensions on two barangay officials in Quezon City in connection to findings from state auditors concerning their failure to settle issues on audit disallowances and ghost projects amounting to P22.28 million.

In a decision disclosed on Friday, the anti-graft body suspended both Barangay Captain Ronald Noga Tagle and Barangay Treasurer Richelle Ann Formanes Santillan for a period of up to six months, pending the resolution of administrative charges filed against them.

The Ombudsman said that a primary consideration of its field investigators were the annual audit reports of the Commission on Audit (CoA) between a period of 2017 to 2023.

“Tagle, in conspiracy with Santillan, withdrew the savings of Barangay Quirino 3B (Claro) from 2018 to 2023 for non-existent or ghost projects,” the order reportedly said.

It was noted that CoA’s Field Office in Quezon City had issued numerous Audit Observations Memoranda and Notices of Disallowances to Barangay Quirino 3B which indicated “various deficiencies” when it came to the submission of supporting documents for the utilization of its funds.

The Ombudsman said that the agency’s reports cited procurement transactions amounting to P1.42 million between 2017 and 2018 lacked some documents that were required for the audit.

Separate disbursements amounting to P15.93 million in 2020, P23.99 million in 2021, P17.64 million in 2022, and P17.88 million in 2023 which had similar issues.

The order stated that Tagle and Santillan had allowed the release of P22.71 without disbursement vouchers which was a requirement of the auditing agency. The failure to comply led to the disallowance.

The Ombudsman noted that the barangay managed to submit an appeal which lowered the disallowance amount to P22.28 million, remaining unsettled despite multiple directives from CoA.

“Respondents’ administrative violation appears to be supported by evidence. The evidence on record that the guilt of respondents is strong,” the order stated.

The administrative charges against Tagle and Santillan hold them liable to alleged grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty.

It was noted that a copy of the suspension had been furnished to Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, instructing the lead official to implement the order immediately upon receipt.