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P700M in donations for Yolanda victims yet to be used – COA report
By AMANDA FERNANDEZ, GMA News
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(Updated 7:07 p.m., Sept. 7) Nearly ten months after super typhoon Yolanda hit several provinces in the Philippines, local and foreign donations to disaster victims amounting to more than P700 million remain unutilized, the Commission on Audit said in a report on relief operations.
In its Special Audit Report, the COA noted that the government had received about P70 million from local sources, and $15 million, or P669 million, from foreign donors as of December 31, 2013.
Of the P740 million, only P3.8 million has been used, leaving P736 million unutilized, it noted.
But the government has also added donations received from previous years amounting to P45 million, bringing the total amount of donations up to P782 million.
This money has been deposited in the bank accounts of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The report noted that the funds have been alloted for DSWD's "early recovery programs" for the survivors of Yolanda. The programs include the core shelters, basic infrastructures, and cash-for-work and supplemental feeding.
Money for shelters
About 80 percent of the amount has been allotted to fund shelters, however, DSWD is still waiting for local government units to identify locations that are safe to build homes.
In its report, COA has recommended that the concerned agencies ensure the donated funds are immediately used properly.
Last January, President Benigno Aquino III said the donations to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda are accounted for and are being used for the purpose they are intended.
Aquino also cited the existence of the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH) website set up by the administration to monitor foreign donations.
"We try to engage the whole citizenry in the whole process. We don’t do anything in secret," he said.
Yolanda, also known by its international code name Haiyan, is the strongest typhoon recorded to make landfall. It killed at least 6,200 people and left 1,800 people missing.
About 2.6 million families were affected mostly in the Central Visayas region and displaced 930,000 others.
It also left more than $12.9 million in damage.
DSWD table
Sought for comment, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman clarified that some of the funds may have been allocated to local government units since they have transferred additional amounts sourced from the donations to them early this year.
She also explained that they cannot easily transfer funds to LGUs without a clear proposal on how the budget will be used.
Based on the latest data from DSWD, donations amounting to about P101.320 million and $877,825 have yet to be used as of Sunday.
To date, the department has received a total donation of $23.784 million (approximately P1.047 billion) and P98.312 million.
"We still have money donations coming in until now," she told GMA News Online in a separate phone interview on Sunday. — with a report by Rouchelle R. Dinglasan/JDS/BM, GMA News
In its Special Audit Report, the COA noted that the government had received about P70 million from local sources, and $15 million, or P669 million, from foreign donors as of December 31, 2013.
Of the P740 million, only P3.8 million has been used, leaving P736 million unutilized, it noted.
But the government has also added donations received from previous years amounting to P45 million, bringing the total amount of donations up to P782 million.
This money has been deposited in the bank accounts of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The report noted that the funds have been alloted for DSWD's "early recovery programs" for the survivors of Yolanda. The programs include the core shelters, basic infrastructures, and cash-for-work and supplemental feeding.
Money for shelters
About 80 percent of the amount has been allotted to fund shelters, however, DSWD is still waiting for local government units to identify locations that are safe to build homes.
In its report, COA has recommended that the concerned agencies ensure the donated funds are immediately used properly.
Last January, President Benigno Aquino III said the donations to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda are accounted for and are being used for the purpose they are intended.
Aquino also cited the existence of the Foreign Aid Transparency Hub (FAiTH) website set up by the administration to monitor foreign donations.
"We try to engage the whole citizenry in the whole process. We don’t do anything in secret," he said.
Yolanda, also known by its international code name Haiyan, is the strongest typhoon recorded to make landfall. It killed at least 6,200 people and left 1,800 people missing.
About 2.6 million families were affected mostly in the Central Visayas region and displaced 930,000 others.
It also left more than $12.9 million in damage.
DSWD table
Sought for comment, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman clarified that some of the funds may have been allocated to local government units since they have transferred additional amounts sourced from the donations to them early this year.
She also explained that they cannot easily transfer funds to LGUs without a clear proposal on how the budget will be used.
Based on the latest data from DSWD, donations amounting to about P101.320 million and $877,825 have yet to be used as of Sunday.
To date, the department has received a total donation of $23.784 million (approximately P1.047 billion) and P98.312 million.
"We still have money donations coming in until now," she told GMA News Online in a separate phone interview on Sunday. — with a report by Rouchelle R. Dinglasan/JDS/BM, GMA News
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