THE Cebu City Council will ask the Commission on Audit (COA) to reconcile its new circular 2007-001 to two existing laws.Councilor Edgardo Labella said two anti-graft laws already provided an ample protection against possible abuse by public officials on public funds. These are Republic Act 3019 (the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and RA 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees). The COA circular prohibits non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and people's organizations (POs) from receiving support from local government units if the incorporators, organizers, directors or officials are related to government officials tasked to release the funds. Among those affected in the COA circular is the city’s financial assistance to the Sinulog Foundation whose over-all chairman is Vice Mayor Michael Rama. The City Council, in a resolution approved during last Wednesday’s session, said the intention of the COA circular was to discourage corruption through NGOs and POs. But the resolution said, this has been covered by RA 3019 and RA 6713. “The intention of COA circular is to ensure conformity to the prescribed New Government Accounting System financial accounting procedures for related transactions, put in place the necessary controls in the release and utilization of funds, promote transparency and accountability including monitoring of the implementation of projects funded,” said Labella, who authored the resolution.
He said these concerns are pointed out in the two laws and the essential elements of the COA circular are already there. A copy of the resolution will be submitted to the COA central office. Rama will also present a document to the central office on how to address the problem of corruption in NGOs and POs without having to affect those who have been doing their accounting well. /REPORTER MARIAN Z. CODILLA | 
