No proof of acceptance, no pay – COA

A VEHICLE supplier’s claim against the provincial government of Davao del Sur has been denied by the Commission on Audit (COA) for insufficient proof that the obligation exists.

In its petition, claimant Davao Honda Center Inc (DHCI) said it won the 2015 bidding held by the local government and delivered 63 motorcycles at P77,900 each on January 28, 2016. It said the cost included registration and insurance.

The supplier said the procurement was part of the “habal-habal” livelihood program of the Office of the Provincial Agriculture.

However, when it tried to collect payment from the provincial government, the DHCI said it was told that the documents it submitted in support of its billing notice were insufficient, particularly due to the absence of the Acceptance and Inspection Report (AIR), the Individual Property Issue Slip, and Acknowledgment Receipt of Equipment.

The supplier said it submitted delivery receipts which were acknowledged by an officer of the Provincial General Services Office (PGSO) as well as copies of the official receipts (ORs) and certificates of registration (CRs) issued by the Land transportation Office (LTO) under the name of the 63 recipients of the motorcycles.

The provincial government countered that the OR/CR should have been in the name of Davao del Sur, noting that there was no proper turnover of the said vehicles after the change of administration in 2016.

In its six-page decision, the COA en Banc held that the petition cannot be given due course for violation of the basic rule that claims against government funds must be supported with complete documentation.

“The delivery receipts alone cannot conclusively show that there was indeed actual delivery of the 63 units to the province. There is no showing in these receipts that the items were accepted, inspected and/or verified as to quantity as stated therein and in conformity with the terms and specifications agreed upon,” the Commission said.

It likewise pointed out that it was a wrong move for DHCI to register each motorcycle in the name of private individuals as the process requires that the province should have been the registered owner due to the involvement of public funds.

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