THE SUPREME Court (SC) has upheld a Commission on Audit (CoA) ruling that disallowed representation and transportation allowances for Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) officials in 2012 and 2013.
CoA ordered the officials to refund the disallowed amounts since the combined allowances amounting to P2.91 million exceeded the LRTA’s allotted budget for those years.
In a nine-page resolution released on Feb. 21, the High Court said the state-owned transport firm did not properly appeal the disallowance before CoA.
“Without a timely/perfected appeal to the CoA Proper, the CoA Director’s ruling— and, ultimately, the disallowance — lapsed into finality,” it said.
“Hence, there was nothing whimsical or capricious in the CoA Proper’s decision to uphold a final and executory disallowance,” the court added.
The tribunal said that CoA did not abuse its discretion when it upheld its decision to disallow the additional pay. It said it found no reason to overturn the decision.
LRTA, a government-owned and controlled corporation, operates the LRT-2 line in Metro Manila.
“The LRTA cannot determine on its own the representation and transportation allowances to be paid to its officials and employees since it is limited to the General Appropriations Act of the relevant years,” the high tribunal said. — John Victor D. Ordoñez