Before cakes there were flowers: COA document details old Makati anomalies involving funeral wreaths

Before the controversial birthday cakes given to senior citizens, the Makati government was found to have engaged in an anomalous practice as early as in the 1990 involving flower wreaths supposedly donated for the wake of deceased Makati residents.

 

In a COA decision dated January 29, 1993 posted on the Legal Information Archive (LIA) section of the commission's website, the audit body found irregularities in the Makati government’s purchases of flower wreaths.

It was found that the flowers were purchased for personal purposes and not as donations for deceased Makati residents as claimed by the Office of the Mayor.

Vice President Jejomar Binay was mayor at the time.

 

The state auditors noted that in 1990, Lisandra Reyes and Eduviges “Ebeng” Baloloy, who were both executive assistants to the Office of the Mayor, tried to reimburse the amounts of P6,550 and P14,970 respectively, for the purchase of the flower wreaths claiming that the amounts incurred
were part of the local government’s expenses as the flowers were allegedly given to the bereaved families of deceased constituents of Makati.

Baloloy, said to be Binay’s long-time personal secretary and bank account dummy, is now being implicated in various corruption allegations involving Binay such as the alleged overpriced construction of Makati Cityhall Building II and the Makati Science High School.

 

She is among the personalities whose bank accounts and other assets were earlier ordered frozen by the Court of Appeals in connection with various corruption allegations involving the Binays and the local government of Makati.

 

According to the COA Central Office decision, the Municipal Audit Office turned down the reimbursement requests as the purchases were found to be “excessive, extravagant and unnecessary”.

 

In a letter of appeal, Binay’s office claimed that this practice of giving away funeral flowers is “beneficial to the interest of public service” as the aim of the act was “to extend sympathy and concern to the bereaved family of the deceased Makati residents”.

 

Binay’s camp even cited an earlier Supreme Court ruling which held that giving burial cash assistance to the residents of Makati was a “valid” expense item as it can be considered part of the police power of a local government.

 

In an explanation sent to the COA Central Office, Makati government’s “Consultant to the Mayor on Finance” said giving away funeral flowers  “may be deemed of public character” and was similar to giving away cash assistance.

 

The Central Office, however, upheld the ruling of its municipal office after further investigation revealed that the documents submitted by the Makati government as part of the liquidation for the reimbursement claims were tampered.

 

“This Commission takes special notice of the fact that some of the sales invoices bear erasures which, for obvious reasons, will further put into question the validity or veracity of the present claims,” the COA decision said.

 

“Specifically, the invoices were noted to bear erasures which would readily show that the flowers were purchased for other purposes and not for the deceased constituents of Makati as claimed by certain officials/employees of the said municipality,” the decision added.

 

The COA noted that 10 untampered copies of sales invoices examined by state auditors showed that the flowers were purchased for other purposes such as “First Friday Mass”, “Friday Mass”, “Monday Mass”, “Mass” and “Rizal Day”.

 

The COA said these details were later “erased” when the Makati government submitted the liquidation report.

 

“It is stressed that the giving of wreath/memorial flowers to the deceased constituents of Makati in question is personal in nature, especially considering the fact that subject expenditures do not redound to the benefit of the people of Makati in general as the expenses would benefit only a few residents of Makati,” the 1993 COA decision said.

 

“Accordingly, this Commission regrets that the instant claim for reimbursement of expenses for the purchase of memorial flowers/wreath may not be allowed in audit,” the commission added.
 

The decision was noted to have been “signed” by then COA Chairman Eufemio Domingo and Commissioners Rogelio Espiritu and Sofronio Ursal but their signatures do not appear in the version of the decision posted on the COA website. — JDS, GMA News