Aid to Yolanda victims delayed by poor disaster response system – COA

Nearly ten months after super typhoon Yolanda hit several provinces in the Philippines, the Commission on Audit has released a special report on relief operations conducted in typhoon-ravaged areas.

In its Special Audit Report, the COA noted several difficulties in the relief operations in affected areas brought by the government's poor disaster response system.

The report said despite the urgent need for aid, the delivery of government resources and donations to victims was delayed as officials were reluctant to release relief goods.

"Most agency officials are too afraid to violate the law or at the least incur the possibility of a certain transaction being disallowed," it said.

"The bureaucratic structure and reliance on written guide permeate the difficult situation of being able to respond immediately," COA said.

COA added that  "while there is an increasing need for the government to spend its resources, which are readily available, they can hardly trickle down to the succeeding levels of government in order to reach the victims" either because officials insisted on using procedures meant for regular transactions or because there were no rules at all.

New policies needed

In its report, COA recommended the creation of a policy or guideline on the timely acquisition and distribution of food items, medicines, and other perishable items in nature.

The report also said guidelines on the documentation and audit of release of funds and relief good for the victims should be created to keep track of flow of aid, government resources and donations.

The auditing agency noted difficulties in the documentation and audit of aid as officials were more focused in the urgent release of aid to victims.

"While the presence of our teams seemed to be unwelcome to the various officers busy in attending to disaster response, they were there in various warehouses with or without electricity, so as to ensure that every cent spent in order to save lives is completely protected," it said.

It also said there was also no way to analyze a disaster survivor's eligibility for assistance "as documentary requirements are not considered due to the urgency of need."

"Given the long queues for food packs, auditors could no longer require the presentation of eligibility documents or even identification cards due to the massive destruction that included loss of records and documents, not to mention the condition of the victims themselves who had not eaten for days," it said.

COA recommended  that concerned agencies revisit the existing relief operations system and adopt measures to ensure the smooth flow of procedures.

"To address the identified gaps, the delivery, repacking and distribution of goods must be synchronized in such a way that we respond to a crisis situation in a timely manner without sacrificing the existing procedural controls," it added. — JDS, GMA News