COA: OP spent P14.98B for MOOE in 2020

The Office of the President (OP) spent P14.98 billion for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) in 2020, an increase from the P8.71 billion it spent for the same expenses in 2019, the Commission on Audit (COA) said in its report.

The COA said more than half of this amount, or P9.97 billion, went to expenses for advertising, printing and publication, representation, transportation and delivery, rent or lease, membership dues, subscriptions, and donations, up from P5.22 billion in 2019.

Out of the P9.97 billion, P9.35 billion went to donations.

Confidential, intelligence and extraordinary expenses comprised the second-biggest chunk of the OP’s spending for MOOE in 2020 at P4.58 billion, up from P2.51 billion in 2019.

Out of the P4.58 billion spent in 2020, P2.32 billion went to confidential expenses, P2.25 billion to intelligence expenses, and P11.78 million to extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses.

Other expenses listed under the MOOE are as follows:

• Traveling expenses - P22.39 million
• Training and scholarship expenses - P27.76 million
• Supplies and materials expenses - P74.83 million

ADVERTISEMENT

• Utility expenses - P76.61 million
• Communication expenses - P13.11 million
• Awards/rewards and prizes - P650,000
• Professional services - P76.89 million
• General services - P53.75 million
• Repairs and maintenance - P59.33 million
• Taxes, insurance premiums, and other fees - P18.89 million

State auditors also said the OP’s Building and Other Structure account was understated by P39.69 million while the Repairs and Maintenance - Building and Structure account was overstated by P11.06 million.

This was due to the cost of a demolished building that was not derecognized in the books and the cost of retrofitting the Land Bank of the Philippines Building I, which is administered and managed by the OP. —NB, GMA News