IT will be up to government-owned and controlled corporations whether to return the P626-million salaries and bonuses they received in 2014, but were subsequently disallowed by the Commission on Audit, the Palace said Friday.
“It will be up to the individual GOCCs if they have observations from CoA relative to their salaries, to their bonuses,” said Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte during a press briefing at Malacañang.
“We know that the government is following strict policies when it comes to giving out bonuses and that the concerned agencies need to answer the Commission on Audit regarding these observations,” Valte said.
The CoA ordered the return of a total of P626 million worth of unauthorized bonuses, allowances, and incentives paid by 28 GOCCs to its officials and employees.
In a 479-page 2014 Annual Financial Report on GOCCs released on Oct. 31, the CoA identified a total of 28 GOCCs that violated the rules on the allowable salaries, allowances and bonuses for GOCCs officials and employees.
These GOCCs were ordered by CoA to return the unauthorized amount to the government through notices of disallowance.
The copy of the AFR was sent to the Office of the President, the Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives.
Based on the AFR, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority recorded the biggest amount of unlawful cash releases.
The CoA said Peza’s disallowance for 2014 reached P213.84 million which consisted of P165.252 million overpayment of salaries, allowances and benefits; P27.063 million unauthorized across-the-board increase of Christmas bonuses which range from P50,000 to P75,000 for each official/employee; and anniversary bonuses amounting to P21.525 million.
The CoA said Peza has been unlawfully overpaying its officials and employees with salaries, allowances and incentives since 2009.
The state auditors noted that as of Dec. 31, 2014, the Peza’s accumulated disallowed compensation stood at P697 million.