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Ban on govt-paid cell phones stressed
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Posted on Sep 13 2008
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial has reiterated his administration’s policy against the use of government-paid mobile phones.
In a memorandum, the governor reminded his Cabinet members that local funds should not be used to pay for government mobile phone usage.
“As part of our austerity policy, only federal funds should be used for government mobile phone usage, unless otherwise approved by [the governor’s special assistant for administration] for essential public safety functions,” Fitial said.
The use of taxpayer funds for government cellular phones has been prohibited since the Fitial administration took office almost three years ago. Apparently, some government employees still keep government-paid cellular phones.
In February 2006, then acting Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez issued a directive banning government-paid mobile phones and instructing agencies to use a centralized telephone system in all government offices. These measures are extremely important to prevent wasteful spending and to help reduce the operational cost of government, Villagomez said.
