LGUs failed to spend over P646 million in anti-disaster funding — COA

Over 100 local government units failed to spend a total of P646 million in their local disaster risk reduction and management (LDRRM) budgets in violation of Commission on Audit (COA) rules, state auditors said.

In its 204-page Consolidated Report on the audit of the anti-disaster fund for 2018, state auditors said that 127 LGUs failed to transfer P546 million of unspent LDRRMF funds to a Special Trust Fund, contrary to COA Circular No. 2012-12.

“The non-transfer of the fund opens opportunity for the LGU to use it for activities other than those which support disaster risk reduction and management,” state auditors said.

Region 6 posted the highest unused anti-disaster fund with P99.7 million, followed by the National Capital Region with P88 million—all of it from Muntinlupa City.

The rest of the regions which had huge unspent anti-disaster funds that have yet to be reverted to a Special Trust Fund are:

• Region 5 (P67 million)
• Region 1 (P65.3 million)
• Region 7 (P60 million)
• Region 4A (P57 million)
• Region 2 (P43.6 million)
• Region 3 (21 million)
• Cordillera Administrative Region (P17.8 million)
• Region 4B (P14.8 million)
• Region 12 (P9.4 million) and
• Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (P1.38 million)

The Bangsamoro Region's unspent P1.38 million had all been allocated to war-ravaged Marawi City, which was besieged by Maute terrorists from May to October 2017.

Five-year-old unused funds

The non-utilization of anti-disaster funds did not end there.

At least 57 LGUs were not able to spend P119 million worth of their anti-disaster funds in the last five years, funds that should have long been reverted to the General Fund per COA rules.

Region 5 recorded the highest amount of unused anti-disaster funds with P36 million, followed by Region 1 with P34 million.

Region 4 came in third with P20.5 million, followed by Region 7 with 12.8 million, Region 9 with P7 million, Region 6 with P4.94 million, Region 3 with P2 million, Region 2 P1.75 million, and the CAR, although the amount was not indicated.

As for its recommendations, COA called on the concerned LGUs to transfer the unutilized prior year balances within five years to the DRRM Special Trust Fund pursuant to COA Circular No. 2012-12.

In addition, COA called on the LGUs to revert the unspent balance of their anti-disaster funds to the unused surplus of the General Fund and thereafter, appropriate it for other social services through legislative enactment. — BM, GMA News