LAOAG CITY — The Commission on Audit (COA) is reminding all accountable officers of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Ilocos Norte to fully comply with the Property Insurance Law.
While providing updates on the new circulars of the commission, lawyer Romulo Rivera, Regional Supervising Auditor of the National Government Sector-Education and Employment of COA-Region 1, on Thursday told concerned DepEd officials and personnel here to ensure the protection of public properties by insuring them with the Government Service Insurance System.
In Ilocos Norte, several school principals and teachers admitted not all properties of the school such as the old school buildings are properly insured due to numerous requirements being asked from them.
Section 5 of Republic Act 656 otherwise known as the Property Insurance Law states, “Every government, except a municipal government below first class, is hereby required to insure its properties with the fund against any insurable risk herein provided and pay the premiums thereon.”
He likewise explained to around 1,000 participants of the 2018 Financial Management Summit held at the Plaza Del Norte Convention Center here on Thursday that they can exercise their right of appeal should they have accountabilities with the government before they retire from service.
According to Rivera, “there are some retiring school principals who seek legal advice with the COA whenever they have unsettled accountabilities which could have been avoided if only they followed the correct procedure before it was too late.”
To avoid unnecessary expenses, Rivera said the right of appeal can be filed within 30 days after the incident or when a government property is stolen or damaged. He likewise reminded accountable officers of DepEd “not to mix personal cash with government cash” to avoid complications in the future. (Leilanie Adriano/PNA)
