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CUC’s Picnic Attitude & Excesses
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Posted on Feb 16 2001
The Issue: The grand neglect of fiduciary responsibility amidst a deepening economic crisis.
Our View: Is it fair to overburden taxpayers with CUC’s excesses of trips and salary raises?
When the titular head of these isles instituted austerity measures some three years ago, it goes without saying that all agencies must follow suit without question. All must guard hard to come by pennies, nickels and dimes rolling out of the public coffers.
It’s an obvious runaway situation where we never really meant what we said nor said what we meant. In short, more people were added to the public payroll like there’s no tomorrow. CUC conveniently followed suit, including throwing in expensive junkets flying first class, and an unearned and untimely salary raises. All these while most businesses and people at the village level had to endure the hardship of the current and deepening crisis.
CUC has never had any good reviews by the Public Auditor’s Office. An oversight in 1993 found some $98 million in CIP expenditure that couldn’t be justified by the former executive director (now Senator Ramon S. Guerrero `Kumoi`). Taxpayers were hopeful that some measure of accountability would have emerged from that hearing. It seems, however, that CUC never learned from the lessons of the past.
These negligence would translate into expenses that all taxpayers must shoulder. In other words, the buck would be passed on to them (taxpayers) whether they like it or not. Is it fair that taxpayers be forced to pay for public officials’ excesses and obvious lack of accountability?
The public auditor must probe the issue forthwith and strongly go after repayment of these abuses or misappropriations so to force accountability in public office. A precedent has been set where a former governor is required by the court to repay some $12 million in taxpayers money. The same should be assessed on any and all CUC officials for abrogation of their fiduciary duties. Do it for the sake of ignorant taxpayers. Si Yuus Maase`!
