This just in, the Philippine Star has finally revealed something that should also be a ground to remove Chito Gascon from his position as chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights:
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit (COA) has called the attention of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) over its supposedly expensive seminars and similar training activities held in various hotels last year.
In a 2017 report released recently, state auditors said the agency “could have minimized the incurrence of substantial amount of training expenses totaling P5,404,543.80” if only the same were held within office premises or other government facilities.
The COA report said the CHR could have also saved money on the 20 seminars or workshops it held if it decided to conduct the same on a live-out basis instead of having participants booked in hotels.
State auditors noted that Section 2 of Presidential Decree 1445 or the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines provides that it is the declared policy of the state that all resources of the government shall be managed, expended or utilized in accordance with law and regulations, and safeguarded against loss or wastage through illegal or improper disposition, with a view of ensuring efficiency, economy and effectiveness in the operations of government.
“Verification of the Training Expenses account showed that the CHR incurred the amount of P5,404,543.80 for CY (Calendar Year) 2017 in the conduct of trainings/seminars/workshops held in different hotels within and outside Metro Manila attended by personnel both from the Central Office (CO) and the Regional Offices (ROs),” the audit team said.
“Records likewise showed that trainings conducted by the CHR were made on in-house basis. Participants were booked in hotels with package accommodation of rooms for participants, meals for breakfast, morning and afternoon snacks, lunch and dinner, and the function rooms for the trainings conducted,” state auditors said.
The COA report said the CHR “could have expended minimal amount of training expenses had the agency conducted the trainings within the office premises or utilized available government facilities and on a non-residential (live-out) basis.”
State auditors said the CHR management should explain and in the future conduct trainings/seminars/workshops for the development and productivity of agency personnel in available rooms within the office premises or avail itself of government facilities, which should be on a non-residential basis for Metro Manila-based employees, to save on training expenses.
Yikes! It just made me jump off my seat to think of how taxes that Filipinos are paying for ends up getting wasted by CHR chairman Gascon. Before you react -- please note that this post stands by the position that the problem is not CHR but it's the chairman himself. CHR should investigate all human rights violations and that it should have its transparency and that like every government agency -- it shouldn't be holding them at expensive hotels which caused a huge waste of PHP 5,404,543.80 worth of taxpayers' money. Hmmm... maybe that's why the Dilawans don't want to have tax cuts because it will no longer finance their costly lifestyles, huh? I mean, why deliberately hold the training sessions inside hotels rather than CHR facilities or other facilities USING government money?
Gascon himself has a lot to answer for. He needs to answer why he would hold the trainings, seminars and workshops in different hotels within and outside Metro Manila instead of various CHR facilities or other possible locations. Need we mention that according to Manila Times -- Gascon also invited UN Rapporteur Agnes Callamard where he paid for the latter's air fare and five star accommodation. Need it be mentioned that Callamard also supported the idea by re-tweeting Dr. Carl Hart's statement that shabu supposedly has no harm on the brain. It doesn't matter anymore if she said it directly or not -- she supports that dangerous notion that shabu doesn't harm the brain or lead to acts of violence. This is also one thing that the COA also needs to bring against Gascon in removing him.
Gascon himself has a lot to answer for. He needs to answer why he would hold the trainings, seminars and workshops in different hotels within and outside Metro Manila instead of various CHR facilities or other possible locations. Need we mention that according to Manila Times -- Gascon also invited UN Rapporteur Agnes Callamard where he paid for the latter's air fare and five star accommodation. Need it be mentioned that Callamard also supported the idea by re-tweeting Dr. Carl Hart's statement that shabu supposedly has no harm on the brain. It doesn't matter anymore if she said it directly or not -- she supports that dangerous notion that shabu doesn't harm the brain or lead to acts of violence. This is also one thing that the COA also needs to bring against Gascon in removing him.
It's time to consider cleaning up the CHR and put competent people in charge of it, to have to redefined in its function (such as it works to monitor human rights violation and cater to ALL of them for both state agents and civilians). Not to mention, Gascon himself may also be charged with plundering and misusing government funds during his term at the CHR.
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