SIX member agencies of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) have been called out by the Commission on Audit due to deficiencies on their handling of government money.
State auditors identified these agencies as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Philippine National Police (PNP), Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (CNIP).
Among the deficiencies discovered in audit were incomplete documentation, low or non-utilization of funds, unauthorized fund transfers, and lack of guidelines on the use of such funds.
Of the six, the PNP received the biggest share amounting to P722.995 million but only incurred P240.8 million in obligations, leaving P480.15 million unutilized.
Still under the PNP, the COA found procurement transactions worth P6.67 million without any proof that they went through the normal processes of posting of requests for quotation, issuance of the notice of award (NOA), signing of the contract or purchase order, and posting on the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) website.
A similar issue was found relative to the P85.44 million share of the DILG where five targeted activities were not implemented even if total funding of P8.74 million was provided.
Over at TESDA, fund transfers from the Central Office of the regional offices amounting to P160.08 million were tagged as “highly questionable” because the agency failed to provide guidelines on how the funds were to be used.
The COA instructed the TESDA to justify its actions and to cite a legal authority/basis for the fund transfer warning its officials that “this may be a ground for technical malversation of public funds.”
As for the DSWD, fund releases totaling P5.32 million for supposed 330 rebel returnees in Region 13 was not supported by appropriate or sufficient documents, prompting auditors to tag the transaction for doubtful validity or propriety.
They noted that P4.04 million was released under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program and another P1.28 million under the Livelihood Settlement Grants Assistance.
Findings pertaining to OPAPP and the NCIP concern lack of documentary support for cash releases.
The NCIP-Region 13 spent P1.064 million for “meals and accommodations” for a planning workshop but there was no public bidding and the liquidation was incomplete.
Auditors added that the OPAPP failed to submit vouchers and supporting documents for expenses amounting to P1.36 million.
