THE SUPREME Court upheld a 2012 ruling of the Commission on Audit (CoA) that disallowed the travel expenses of the then sitting Panabo City councilors and vice mayor worth P1.4 million used for training programs held that year.
In a 10-page resolution dated Feb. 15 and made public on June 20, the High Court said CoA did not abuse its discretion in disallowing the “irregular, excess, and illegal” expenditures.
“The court also finds merit in CoA’s argument that the petitioners’ failure to submit pertinent documents evidencing that the training programs were bona fide and the double expenses they incurred militate against their claim of good faith.The High Court ordered the petitioners to return the disallowed amounts they had received for the training programs.