Barangay IRA Fund

Hole of Justice

By Peter G. Jimenea

Unjust Barangay IRA Deduction

The Internal Revenue Allocation (IRA) of the 180 barangays in Iloilo City, are automatically deducted a 4% bookkeeper’s share. As to who is this bookkeeper at the City Hall, we have yet to know. But surely, this person is a salaried employee of the city government.  

An official of a barangay reported that the amount deducted from their IRA under this 4% bookkeeper share is P16,000. Meaning, the deductions from those big and highly progressive barangays are higher ten times or more.

But cui bono? For whose benefit is this, for what good and for what purpose? The 4% bookkeeper share is not a cheap shot. Even if we consider only a P10,000 deduction from each barangay, the bookkeeper share of 4% from the 180 city barangays is no longer in thousands but millions.

In curiosity, the barangay official asked where will this 4% go. He was surprised when no one seems to have the answer, until a lady employee hesitantly came forward and told him that the 4% bookkeeper share will be reverted to the General Fund.

Whaaat? So many things can be done out of this P16,000 they deducted from the IRA of that poor barangay. Unless authorized by law, whoever invented this 4% bookkeeper share must be someone with large propensity to claim what rightfully belong to others.

It reminds me few months before the now Cong. Jerry Trenas stepped down as city mayor. The General Fund (GF) of the city government at the start of his last term has a record balance of P1.046billion. This amount does not include yet the cash balances in the Trust Fund and in the Special Education Fund.

But after audit, COA has discovered that P650,661,833.48 of the GF cannot be reconciled due to lack of supporting documents or having no document at all. This P650.6M is a wasted taxpayers’ money. Then why put the 4% bookkeeper share to the GF again? Trenas has a story that won't go away and this can drive an honest taxpayer to the brink of insanity!

I cannot understand how this mess happened under watch of officials preparing the releases of this fund. They are from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), and COA. I don’t believe they have a share in the slice of the loot, but what about this mess they’re in?

Is this 4% deduction from barangay IRA fund the primary cause on why the releases are always delayed? The stake involved in this deceit virtually guaranteed the tawdry spectacle that followed. The ones who get screwed in the end are the poor taxpayers as usual.

This difference between principle and preference is rarely understood despite being explained in a clear and understandable language. Why? Everytime we hope for deliverance of dedicated services we ended up badly disillusioned.

A succession by camaraderial loyalty is condoning illegality. This reflects the character of public officials who are always asking compensation for what they never lost. What is somewhat missing in the empty lives of these people is to die with dignity!

If the 4% bookkeeper share being deducted from the IRA fund of each barangay is all in the name of standardizing allocation, then, this system might be a step forward in deregulation of thievery. That money is for the barangays, why get what rightfully belongs to them?

This maybe too extreme a conclusion though. But look, lowly city employees are most sorely tempted to steal but don’t. I hope the officials of the DILG, DBM and COA can find a way to keep these barangays away from the tentacles of this syndicate we are now dealing with.

The lady employee who said the 4% bookkeeper share will be reverted to the GF should know that lying won’t set her free. Remember, falsus in uno,falsus in omnibus  she who has lied about one thing is most likely to lie about everything. (Ramos vs. CA, 188 SCRA 450).

But I don’t blame her being merely an underling the boss had been tapping. Well, I hope to have made your day in this column. You ask for it. Unlike me and Dirty Harry who ask others to make our day!