Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cheloy Garafil on Thursda said several PCO separated workers have repaid more than P800,000 in overpaid terminal leave benefits after the Commission on Audit (COA) ordered them to do so.
In a statement, Garafil stated that her office initiated corrective actions "immediately after receipt" of the Audit Observation Memorandum from COA in early February.
These actions include sending demand letters to separated PCO personnel from the previous administration, "requiring them to refund the overpaid terminal leave benefits."
The Press Secretary that the PCO has already sought reimbursement of P824,625.37 for overpayment terminal leave payments from 38 separated staff.
She said her office had already deposited the funds with the Bureau of Treasury (BTr) and that the remaining seven separated workers had agreed to refund the remaining P203,956.96.
The Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) is still waiting for a response from Garafil on the status of the remaining P25 million.
According to the PCO's legal division chief, those already separated officials and personnel's clearance documents said that "they had no pending administrative cases nor involvement in any pending investigations.
COA previously reported overpayments of P25.75 million in terminal leave compensation without documentation and P1.02 million in terminal leave benefits to separated personnel without the proper deductions.
