Ligao City told: Don’t let vehicle fleet gather rust

GOVERNMENT auditors have called out officials of Ligao City in Albay over the lack of covered parking space to protect its fleet of service vehicles and heavy equipment from the elements.

In its 2023 report on the local government unit, the audit team warned that inadequate effort to safeguard and maintain the vehicle fleet could prove costly to the city as these assets are “exposed to rapid deterioration, destruction, and possible loss.”

Likewise questioned in the report was the lack of mandatory markings of “For Official Use Only” on several units in the fleet in violation of Commission on Audit (COA) Circular No. 75-6.

An inventory of the city’s vehicle fleet showed it has 54 service vehicles and 26 heavy equipment.

Included in the list were 11 vans, 11 pickup trucks, 13 motorcycles and six ambulances.

The heavier vehicles used in infrastructure and construction projects include eight excavators, seven dump trucks, two boom trucks, a bulldozer, and a man-lift truck.

“During the inspection of the motor vehicles, it was noted that some were not kept in a garage when not in use. It was likewise observed that some of the motor vehicles and heavy equipment are parked in a vacant lot near the new City Hall Building which is exposed to various elements,” auditors said.

Found without the required markings were a Toyota Fortuner assigned to the Office of the Vice Mayor and a Toyota Innova detailed with the City Engineering Office.

“With the City’s fleet of vehicles and heavy equipment, it is highly necessary that the City establish and maintain a garage and motor pool for the protection of these valuable assets. Leaving vehicles and equipment unsheltered …increases their deterioration rate thereby rapidly diminishing their useful lives,” the COA added.