THE Commission on Audit has questioned the Office of the President’s Presidential Legislative Liaison Office for the recruitment of 10 consultants and 20 contractual workers in 2017 not covered by the agency’s budget for salaries.
CoA said the P4.1 million in consultancy services expenses in 2017 was too much for too little return.
It recommended the PLLO, currently headed by Secretary Adelino B. Sitoy, to fire all of its consultants.
“Considering the number of personnel occupying the plantilla positions… hiring the services of the consultants can be dispensed with,” CoA said.
In the PLLO’s 2017 audit report released last April 18, CoA said the office only had 38 positions available, of which 36 were already filled up with 32 regular employees and four co-terminus personnel.
But the agency hired 10 consultants who did not render any expertise or special work, but still drew salaries of P30,000 to P60,000 per month.
Nine of them had no curriculum vitae but were still hired, and that no one submitted any progress/final reports as proof of output or accomplishment during the year.
“The curriculum vitae serve as basis to validate the technical expertise of the consultant to deliver the particular needs of the agency, which was the reason for hiring the consultant. None of the nine hired consultants submitted their approved Consultancy Progress/Final Reports, and/or any output,” CoA’s report read.
The PPLO adopted the “contract of service” form, Instead of the standard “contract for consulting services,” the state auditors said.
With the rate of pay they are receiving, CoA said the consultants should have been expected to render more expert or specialized work.
“[The] tasks performed by these consultants overlap with the duties and responsibilities of regular personnel or can basically be provided by the contract of service personnel,” it said.
“The practice of hiring the services of consultants with these accomplishments may cause demoralization among the rank and file employees when it comes to the salaries they are receiving vis-à-vis the duties and responsibilities they are performing,” the agency said.
A Contract for Consulting Services requires that the output or scope of work to be done by the consultant be explicitly defined.
“Verification of accomplishment reports supporting the claims for the period July 1-December 31, 2017 revealed that the tasks performed by these consultants overlap with the duties and responsibilities of regular personnel or can basically be provided by the contract of service personnel,” the COA said.
“The duties and responsibilities of one consultant who mainly functioned as an Executive Assistant can be performed by a regular employee or contract of service personnel of the agency given the specific instructions,” it added.
Some of the consultants were also found to have been paid twice the amount that the Office of the President — the PLLO’s head agency — compensate its consultants.
Among the tasks given to the consultants were to perform as liaison and public relations officers, review speeches of the PLLO Secretary, manage databases, serve as executive assistants, and support the Federalism campaign, among others.
“Stop the practice of hiring consultants for tasks which do not require expertise and that can be performed by the regular employees… Benchmark the rate of consultants hired by similar agencies as to the size and budget of PLLO,” CoA said.
“Practice prudency in spending government funds and discontinue the practice of paying exorbitant salaries to consultants,” it added.
Created in 1987, the PLLO is mandated to promote the legislative initiatives and generate maximum support for the President and his legislative agenda in Congress.
It is also tasked to officially orchestrate the formulation of the Executive-Legislative Agenda and all other concerns of the Executive Department having to do with the Legislature.