Negros Occidental Provincial Tourism Officer Cheryl Decena and five disbursing officers under her have been issued show cause orders to explain unliquidated cash advances at the provincial government’s Mambukal Resort and Wildlife Sanctuary in 2023, Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. confirmed on Monday, June 10.
The show cause order issued to Decena under the principle of command responsibility, points out that she neglected to rectify the unliquidated cash advances of her subordinate disbursing officers in 2023.
Decena was officer-in-charge of Mambukal in 2022 to 2023.
The show cause order included an initial report certified correct by the Office of the Provincial Accountant, entitled the “Summary of Replenishments of Disbursing Officers for Mambukal Catering for the year ended December 31, 2023”.
The Office of the Provincial Accountant report revealed that as of Dec. 29, 2023, the total income from the Mambukal catering services and related collections amounted to P30,375,712 for 2023.
However, it is crucial to note that the total expenses for the same period amounting to P33,918,904.12 exceeded the total income.
Despite the unliquidated cash advances of the disbursing officers, the show cause order said Decena inexplicably chose to allow the disbursing officers to continue obtaining cash advances in 2023.
“You willfully authorized the accumulation of Mambukal’s total expenses amounting to P33,918,904.12, surpassing Mambukal’s total income of P30,375,712,” the show cause order to Decena said.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said “for me I don’t consider it a big deal yet because it’s just reminding the personnel of Mambukal to liquidate because we have a deadline”.
“Maybe they were busy doing other things, they just have to liquidate…it’s an obligation of all those have advances,” Lacson said.
Decena said “I don’t want to pre-empt the decision of the governor regarding the answers to the show cause orders. We’ll leave it to the governor to decide based on the documents submitted by the persons concerned”. *