19.2 Section 4.0 hereof defined unnecessary expenditure as those that could not pass the
test of prudence or diligence of a good father of a family, thereby denoting non-
responsiveness to the exigencies of the service. An expenditure that is not essential
or that which can be dispensed with without loss or damage to property is
considered unnecessary. Among these transactions is the hiring of consultants
whose functions are redundant to the respective functions of concerned officials,
for example, the hiring of a procurement consultant, financial consultant, or media
consultant, as enumerated in Annex C of the same Circular.
19.3 In CY 2024, the City Government of Bayawan engaged the services of consultants
specializing in Disaster Risk Reduction and Transportation and Traffic
Management. The City hired one consultant in each area, incurring a total of
₱320,000.00. Our review and evaluation of their respective Terms of Reference
(TOR) revealed that the scope of work and responsibilities assigned to these
consultants significantly overlapped with the existing duties and functions of
designated city officials, specifically the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Officer (LDRRMO) and the City Transportation and Traffic
Management Officer (CTTMO).
19.4 For instance, the responsibilities assigned to the LDRRM consultant include:
19.4.1 Facilitate in generating projects and programs towards disaster risk
reduction and climate change adaptation;
19.4.2 Integrate the disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into local
land-use plan;
19.4.3 Present and lecture on natural and geological hazards;
19.4.4 Prepare information materials pertaining to natural and geohazards for
dissemination to the public and schools; and
19.4.5 Train personnel in Geographic Information System, damage and loss
assessments, digital database build-up, and technical report writing.
19.5 A review of the progress reports of the LDRRM consultant revealed that the
consultant discussed the Minglanilla Reclamation Project, a large-scale techno-
business park hub located in Minglanilla, Cebu, designed to integrate commercial,
industrial, civic, and recreational developments. Additionally, the report included
information regarding the project's ownership/developer, which is entirely
unrelated to the jurisdiction and concerns of Bayawan City. The inclusion of such
discussions in the consultant’s report indicates a misalignment of focus and raises
concerns regarding the relevance and appropriateness of the consultancy services
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