COA flags BuCor over substandard meals for PDLs

State auditors flagged the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) for meals served to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) that allegedly did not meet standards.

In its 2022 audit report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said meals provided to PDLs in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) and the Correctional Institution for Women did not meet the Food Subsistence Agreement (FSA) standard.

COA said this was due to the failure of the Food Inspection Committee (FIC) to monitor its implementation.

Under Section 8 of the FSA, food providers must serve food in accordance with a 10-day cycle menu and a minimum dietary requirement of 2,000 calories per day.

The auditors further said that the provision states that a change in the menu by the provider must be approved by the NBP Superintendent upon the recommendation of the BuCor Nutritionist.

In reviewing the agency’s disbursement vouchers and other documents, however, COA noted that the meals served to PDLs from June 2022 to July 2022 and August 2022 to December 2022 were not in accordance with the menu.

“It was noted that the substitution was made without securing the approval of the NBP Superintendent, to be recommended by the BuCor Nutritionist, contrary to Section 8.3 of the FSA,” COA said.

“The failure to comply with the required approval prior to substitution of meals may result in serving meals that are not nutritionally appropriate for PDLs since the substitute meals were not assessed by the BuCor nutritionist.”

Due to this, state auditors advised BuCor to impose the appropriate penalty and monitor the proper implementation of the FSA.

In its comment, BuCor said the FIC would be reconstituted to fully monitor the proper implementation of the FSA.

Meanwhile, BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr., in an ambush interview, said the supplier had explained that there was a shortage.

“Ang sabi naman nung nagpadala, nung supplier o caterer, sabi niya your honor may mga araw po na itong kailangan namin i-supply— Halimbawa, ngayong araw na ito, kakain sila ng manok, eh walang supply ng manok, may shortage,” he said.

(The supplier said there are days when— for example, today they should have served chicken but there was no supply, there’s a shortage.)

“So nag babago kami ng menu. Pero nandoon pa rin yung nutrients (so we are changing the menu but the nutrition will still be there),” he added. — DVM, GMA Integrated News