WITH finality, the Commission on Audit dismissed on Monday the two petitions for review filed by the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System to lift a P27.1-million disallowance released to its workers in 2012.
CoA Chairperson Michael Aguinaldo as well as Commissioners Jose Fabia and Isabel Agito junked the separate appeals filed by Florendo Batasin Jr., MWSS administrative and general services manager, and Darlina Uy, legal services department manager, on the ground their filing of the motions was already beyond the six-month prescriptive period.
“Based on evaluation, the consolidated Petitions for Review were filed out of time… thus the assailed decision became final and executory. Having attained finality, the assailed decision of the Cluster Director is immutable and unalterable, and can no longer be modified,” the decision read.
To appeal an unfavorable ruling “is not a right, but a mere statutory privilege,” it said, adding the water agency officials should have strictly observed CoA’s instructions.
CoA challenged the release of P27.1 million in allowances, bonuses, incentives and other benefits by MWSS to its officials, board of trustees and rank-and-file employees in 2012 for lack of basis.
A notice of disallowance was then issued.
MWSS sought the recall of the January 2015 ruling issued by the CoA Corporate Government Sector- Cluster 3 that affirmed notices of disallowance on the P27.1-million perks broken down into a P14.7-million cost of living allowance, P8.7-million representation and transportation allowance, and P3.7-million amelioration allowance.
In March this year, CoA rejected the motion for reconsideration filed by the MWSS Regulatory Office on the unauthorized pay of P82.2 million under 48 notices of disallowance in 2010.