DOST to return P1.7-billion unused scholarship funds

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Wednesday said it is set to return P1.7 billion in accumulated scholarship funds that have gone unutilized.

In a congressional hearing on DOST 2022 proposed budget, Catanduanes Representative Hector Sanchez asked DOST officials regarding the Commission on Audit's (COA) 2020 report which flagged the unused funds for scholars under its Science Education Institute.

"What is the status of the P1.7 billion?" asked Sanchez.

SEI Deputy Director Albert Mariño said the funds were unused because some scholarships had already been terminated. These funds were an accumulated  amount since 2015, he added.

"At iyan naman po naibalik na po namin. Iyong P700 million na-reverted back na po yan at P901 million for reversion today, at yung P100 million for processing na po ngayon," he added.

[We returned P700 million already. The P901 million is for reversion and P100 million is for processing.]

Sanchez, meanwhile, asked DOST officials if they can realign the P1.7 billion unused funds for other agencies.

But Mariño said the COA had already ordered them to revert the unutilized funds.

"Kung papayagan kami mag-realign, we will do that but unfortunately yan ay pinasosoli ng auditor namin dahil nagarantiya naman po ang pondo namin for this year so kailangan na maibalik yung P1.7 billion," he said.

[If they will allow us to realign, then we will but unfortunately they are ordering us to return it because we already have funds this year so we need to return the P1.7 billion.] — BM, GMA News