Hontiveros wants probe on CHED agency's P7-billion ‘questionable’ releases

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Thursday filed a resolution seeking an investigation into the estimated P7 billion worth of "leakages" flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) on the Commission on Higher Education's (CHED)  implementation of the Universal Assistance System for Tertiary Education Act.

In filing Senate Resolution 128, Hontiveros cited several observations in COA's annual audit report on CHED, particularly on issues involving the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) — an attached agency of the commission which is the primary implementer of the Free Higher Education and Tertiary Education Subsidy.

"The recent COA report casts doubt as to the veracity and strength of the control mechanisms within UniFAST in implementing the Universal Access to Quality Education," Hontiveros said.

"These may just be the tip of the iceberg as to questionable practices and implementation of programs by the UniFAST," she added.

Hontiveros enumerated several issues flagged by COA which include:

-P131 million worth of overpayments for tuition fees and other school fees due to the deficient mechanisms of UniFAST to prevent overcharging and prevent erroneous payments
-P251 million worth of reimbursements to local universities and colleges (LUCs)that were already being fully subsidized by their respective LGUs, in violation of Section 55 of the IRR of the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act
-P3.443 billion worth of delayed and non-submission of the Free Higher Education billings and documents
-P824 million in payments made to SUCs and LUCs with lacking supporting Official Receipts

"The leakages flagged by COA amount to almost P7 billion which could have been used to build at least 7,000 classrooms or given classroom allowance to 1.4 million teachers," Hontiveros said in her resolution.

Hontiveros, in a separate statement, said that the following are also included in the almost P7 billion releases flagged by COA:

-P26.6 million of reimbursements of doubtful validity of tuition and school fees to the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines;
-duplicate entries of beneficiaries in billings of P141,550.00;
-P1 billion unimplemented and unreverted funds for the student loan program; P1.003 billion delayed release of financial benefits;
-P4.43 million double scholarship grants;
-P200 million worth of unutilized allotments for tertiary education subsidy.

Transparent

CHED commissioner Prospero de Vera III, for his part, said the commission is taking the senator's accusations "seriously."

De Vera said CHED-UniFAST had already answered the "questionable releases" flagged by COA. As for the observations requiring actions, the commissioner said it had been corrected as the allegations apparently stemmed from the state auditors' observations three to four years ago.

"CHED had always been fully transparent and accountable in its implementation of RA 10931 or the UAQTE. The beneficiaries of UAQTE are the beneficiaries mandated by the law. No UAQTE funds have been released to students who are not beneficiaries under the law," he said in a statement Thursday evening.

The commissioner said he is "ready" to meet with Hontiveros on her concern. De Vera also announced he will hold a media conference next week to explain CHED and UniFAST's side on the matter.—With Sundy Locus/LDF, GMA News