• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Sagay City Council finance committee is set to conduct today an inquiry on the unreleased P7.3-million health benefits of medical frontliners who had served during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vice Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva, the presiding officer, said on Tuesday that City Treasurer Juvy Pinongan was invited to attend the inquiry to shed light on her failure to release such amount for the health emergency allowance (HEA).
Cueva said that he is hoping that Pinongan will attend the inquiry.
Mayor Narciso Javelosa Jr. said on Monday that Pinongan is currently under investigation by the City Legal Office, in connection with the complaints of doctors, nurses, and other health workers, which were brought to his attention through a formal letter.
Pinongan was reported to have withdrawn the HEA funds in the amount of P22 million on Aug. 16, which she started to distribute from Aug. 19 to 22.
For still unknown reasons, she failed to distribute the remaining amount of P7.3 million, Javelosa said.
City Administrator Ryan Bonghanoy said that the investigation of the City Legal Office is expected to be completed within this week, wherein the recommendations will serve as the basis of their next action.
Bonghanoy said that in his initial meeting with Pinongan, the city treasurer said that she was not able to distribute the P7.3 million yet because she is still reconciling the figures.
He added that Pinongan further claimed that the vault, where the P7.3 million is being kept, cannot be opened as she forgot the lock number combination. | GB
