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Three police investigators chipped in P100 each to buy diesel for their patrol car.
This was the only way they could bring arrested suspects to the courts and then back to the Cebu City jail.
City Hall’s depot at the North Reclamation Area, where they tank up, ran out of diesel at 6 a.m. yesterday.
Unpaid fuel depot bills of P16 million were blamed on red tape and unmet requirements of the Commission on Audit (COA) that caused delays in the release of funds.
“We have money to pay. It is just that on Aug. 14, COA strictly asked us to comply with the pre-audit (requirements),” said assistant city accountant Arlene Rentuza.
For two days, the depot had no diesel stocks. This forced Cebu City police homicide investigators to dip in their own pockets to use their service vehicle, a Tamaraw FX.
About 6 a.m. yesterday, the depot turned away several government vehicles. There was no gasoline or gasoline to distribute.
An urgent phone call was made to Total Philippines, the supplier to prod the delivery of 24,000 liters of gasoline.
A promissory note will be signed assuring payment of P13 million on Friday, said Ester Cubero, officer in charge of the General Services Office (GSO) of the Cebu city government.
The fuel supplier earlier threatened to stop delivering diesel and gasoline if the city wouldn’t pay its outstanding obligation of P16 million.
Cubero said Total Philippines wanted the city to settle its obligations after the national government froze oil prices to the Oct. 15 level in Luzon in response to the devastation wrought by the recent storms.
The oil companies complained that Executive Order 839 was forcing them to operate at a loss. Fears of an artificial shortage in Luzon arose after fuel firms refused to import oil until the EO is lifted.
In Cebu City Hall, delayed payment was traced to unmet pre-audit requirements of the Commission on Audit (COA) which forced the accounting department to withhold release of funds.
Cebu City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said the city finally made arrangements with the COA last Monday to exempt fuel deliveries from the pre-audit procedure.
“The COA accepted our proposal that they will not include in their pre-audit the fuel deliveries,” Fernandez told CEBU DAILY NEWS.
“I'm taking care of it,” Cubero of GSO insisted.
“I am accountable for what will happen but I strive to make sure they really deliver. If they cannot deliver even once, many basic services are affected. So far, no service had been hampered (by the delay).”
The Cebu city government consumes 5,000 to 6,000 liters of diesel and 1,200 to 2,000 liters of gasoline a day.
Aside from city-owned vehicles, about 70 police vehicles refuel at the city depot as part of Cebu City’s assistance to the Philippine National Police.
Each police vehicle receives an allocation of 300 liters a month. For the Mobile Patrol Group, the ration is double at 600 liters a month.
Most police vehicles run on gasoline.
Senior Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., Cebu City Police Office chief, said it wasn’t the first time the city depot had no available stocks.
“There are times that there’s a delay in the delivery especially middle and last days of a month,” Comendador told Cebu Daily News
Supt. Paul Labra II, CCPO deputy city director for operation, said police operations were not affected by the delay in the delivery of fuel.
“Ma-delay lang usahay og gamay,” said Labra.
Why City Hall’s fuel payments are late
EVERY fuel delivery to Cebu City’s government depot had to undergo a Commission on Audit (COA) pre-audit.
Under the rules, the state auditor must be present in each fuel delivery to verify the right amount and quality is delivered.
Total Philippines delivers fuel to the depot at least thrice a week. The problem arose when delivery took place after office hours or beyond 5 p.m. when COA employees are not available for inspection.
The use of a dipstick method the following day was agreed up upon to determine the amount of fuel.
The General Services Office (GSO) has to make its own inspection and submit a report to COA within 24 hours after each delivery. A COA representative would countersign the GSO report.
The documents would be sent to the City Budget Office and then the Accounting Office for approval before fund release by the Treasurer’s Offfice.
Ester Cubero of the GSO said they had problems completing the documents required by COA because of the varying schedules of fuel delivery. She said she already wrote to COA, explaining why they could not comply with the rules.
Lack of COA pre-audit requirements and non-release of payment caused a backlog in unpaid fuel bills till it reached P16 million. Total has committed to deliver at least 140,000 liters a month.
Yesterday, Cith Hall’s accounting office approved the voucher for the payment of gasoline and submitted it to the treasurer's office.
Police await October fuel from Camp Crame
CAMP Crame’s release of fuel rations for police offices in Central Visayas is still pending for October.
“We don't have gasoline supply for October. I don’t know what’s the reason,” said Senior Supt. Erson Digal, Police Regional Office (PRO-7) chief of logistic division.
Fuel supplies are directly distributed through the city and provincial police directors.
The PRO -7 allocates 3,528 liters of gasoline and 100 liters of diesel for the Cebu City police.
Each station receives 216 liters of gasoline, based on September records.
The office of the Cebu City police chief receives 288 liters a month. The Cebu Province Police Office gets 6,528 liters.
Digal said he was advised by Camp Crame, however, that November’s supply would be released soon.
While the PNP national headquarters would not give its supply for October, Digal assured that all police offices will have their fuel allocation until December because they have enough savings on fuel.
Police don’t depend entirely on higher headquarters for fuel since the local police receives logistical support from local governments.
