Some P2.45 billion in government funds and resources allocated for the Yolanda Recovery and Rehabilitation Program have not been properly accounted for by the Philippine Coconut Authority, the Commission on Audit has disclosed.
In the 2016 Annual Financial Report for Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations released recently, CoA also admonished another GOCC, the National Electrification Administration, for its failure to exert enough efforts in demanding the return of R279.45 million of its YRRP counterpart funds distributed to electric cooperatives.
CoA said electric cooperatives still hold on to the balance of unspent YRRP which should have been used to rehabilitate power lines and restore electric services in Yolanda-affected areas. The CoA called on NEA to recover the money which can be used to finance other services of the agency.
Auditors said the NEA improperly disbursed certain funds for the YRRP. Among the questioned disbursements are the payment of honoraria for Task Force Kapatid and undocumented project expenses and payment of salaries of regular employees.
The CoA had noted suspected irregularities and numerous violations of the government procurement law on the handling of YRRP funds by the PCA following its audit of R688.718 million for typhoon Yolanda relief operations and the anti-coconut scale insect project in 2015.
Among the audit issues against the PCA were allegedly onerous contracts for the supply of various supplies and equipment, with the purchases undertaken through the questionable emergency mode. (Ben R. Rosario)