LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged down the alleged offering of a degree program at the La Trinidad campus and the extension classes of the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) for the absence of an approval from the Board of Regents (BOR).
In an audit observation memorandum, the COA stated that expenditures in the offering of the unauthorized degree program and extension classes amounting to PhP391,495.64 are not in order.
The COA noted that the offering of the curriculum of the degree program Bachelor of Science (BS) Criminology in La Trinidad campus and the Kapangan extension classes which were in Central Kapangan and at the Gov. Bado Dangwa Agro-Industrial School, have no BOR resolutions and as such, the curriculum of the said program is not authorized to be offered in said campuses.
The offering of BS Criminology at the La Trinidad campus and Kapangan extension classes in the school year 2022-2023 had enrollees of 383 and 306 for the first and second semesters, respectively. Notwithstanding such a number of students, the COA stated that there was no request form to hire job order or casual or contract of service personnel for the La Trinidad campus. Instead, the contract of service that was hired to augment the regular work force of BSU–Buguias campus as shown in the request form became an instructor at the La Trinidad campus and Kapangan extension classes.
The permanent employee, who was hired as Instructor I for the BSU–Buguias campus, was designated on January 13, 2023 as Dean of the College of Criminal Justice Education. Moreover, COA claimed that perusal of the Dean’s faculty workload summary for the second semester of school year 2022-2023 showed that he had administrative load of 15 units, teaching load of 4 units and research and extension load. His teaching loads were for the subjects pertaining to public administration in the graduate program, which are not related to the BS Criminology curriculum.
The COA added that the work station of the permanent employee and the contract of service in the La Trinidad campus are unnecessary considering that the offering at the La Trinidad campus and Kapangan extension classes of BS Criminology has no board resolution; the teaching load of the permanent employee is not devoted to the said curriculum and the permanent employee and contract of service personnel were hired for the Buguias campus.
According to the memorandum, notwithstanding the lack of BOR authority offering the curriculum of BS Criminology in the La Trinidad campus and the Kapangan extension classes, the BSU issued an advisory on June 6, 2022 and announcement on July 20, 2022 that opened the application for admission and screening of qualifiers for the said program in both campuses for the first semester 2022-2023.
Further, the COA discovered that a BSU vehicle was approved for use and a travel order directing three instructors to proceed to Kapangan Central and GBDAIS on January 20, February 3 and 17, March 3 and 31, April 14 and 28, and May 12, 2023 to conduct face-to-face classes to the BS Criminology students and to perform other relevant tasks as needed.
The COA observed that the Dean of the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE) prepared project procurement management plans and funds were certified as appropriated and the said plans were approved by the University President.
The COA recommended that BSU refrain from advertising the degree program of BS Criminology at the La Trinidad campus and accepting enrollees.as the same is not authorized by a board resolution.
The COA advised BSU administration to refrain from utilizing government funds and property for the offering of the curriculum of the said program at the La Trinidad campus and at the Kapangan extension classes as there are no BOR resolutions authorizing the said offerings.
The COA asserted that BSU should also refrain from appropriating funds for and approving the project procurement management plans relative to the said curriculum of the program that were not authorized by the Board of Regents to be offered at the two campuses.
The COA stipulated that the Instructor I who is a permanent employee and persons hired under contract of service for the BSU Buguias campus perform their duties and responsibilities at the said campus only.
BSU administration was given 15 days from receipt of the said audit observation memorandum to comment on the same before issuing the final audit findings relative to the said issue.