THE government of Davao Oriental released P37.65 million in cash donations to various groups and individuals in 2019 but government auditors are now asking awkward questions.
In a report released last May 8, the Commission on Audit said the fund releases were not backed by documents to prove that the recipient is eligible or that the donation underwent prior evaluation by qualified personnel.
Worse, the COA said there was no proof that the beneficiaries were even residents of the province.
“Scrutiny of the disbursement vouchers and the supporting documents disclosed that several financial assistance were not supported with the certificate of eligibility or social case study report,” auditors said.
“Furthermore, the database …was not maintained …to support verification that beneficiaries are constituent of the Province,” it added.
A breakdown of cash grants submitted to the audit team classified the assistance as medical (P11.45 million), food supplies/rice (5.024 million), burial (4.67 million), educational (P1.37 million), and other financial assistance (P15.1 million).
The last category covers donations of sports uniforms/prizes, traveling allowance for national government employees attending a seminar or similar events, procurement of furniture or equipment requested by organizations and individuals, as well as incidental expenses for activities in public schools, barangays and other organizations.
In its comment to the adverse findings, the provincial government agreed that there were deficiencies in the process and assured government auditors that it will start data-banking of the clients’ information to help address the problems properly.
According to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO), it forwarded the bulk of requests for financial assistance to the Crisis Intervention Unit mostly for burial, medical and educational purposes.
Such requests are supposed to be supported by a certificate of eligibility and a case summary for evaluation by the PSWDO.
The same office said the amount of cash for release is “generally based upon the discretion of the provincial governor, vice governor and Sangguniang Panlalawigan members.”
Auditors pointed out that the process made the amount to be given arbitrary as there was no reasonable basis or standards for the different type of assistance.
The Provincial Governor’s Office also released educational assistance during the year but the amount was low at only P2.1 million against the funding requirement of P4.06 million.
“As these did not encompass the standards or guidelines of the province’s existing scholarship program, most payments were not supported by documents showing that an assessment has been made. There was also no monitoring being conducted as to the status of the student-beneficiaries …in order to measure the effectiveness thereof,” the COA said.
Further verification showed there were at least 46 individuals and groups that received cash assistance from the local government more than once “within a short span of time.”
“Government fund would be properly safeguarded from misuse or wastage had appropriate control procedures been established,” the commission said.
