THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) reported distributingP5.89 million worth of welfare goods and other supplies to the poor and calamity-stricken areas in 2022 but government auditors said these activities were not supported by proper documentation, thereby “casting doubt on the occurrence of the recorded expenses.”
Based on the journal entry vouchers (JEVs), the delivery and distribution of relief supplies took place from October to December 2022, including 2,500 sacks of rice worth P3.125 million covered by the Davao Satellite Office (SO); P962,514 worth of corporate gifts to “partners;” P908,610 worth of disaster relief boxes containing blankets, sleeping mats, and hygiene supplies; and P684,000 embroidered backpacks.
The audit team noted that all of these transactions were not supported by the distribution list or acknowledgment receipts that would have shown who were the beneficiaries.
Only documents showing the transfer of items from the OVP Central Office to the satellite offices were submitted for audit.
“Documents supporting the items’ distribution should be attached to ascertain that the items were received by the intended beneficiaries. The absence of supporting documents evidencing the distribution of the items to the beneficiaries cast doubt on whether the recorded expenses occurred,” the Commission on Audit said.
The OVP Property Officer attributed the improper/incomplete documentation to the volume of paperwork involved so that the unit or division officer tasked to distribute “found it difficult to submit the supporting documents on time.”
However, auditors said there were inadequate guidelines in the flow of documents and transactions between the Central Office and the various SOs causing confusion.
“There should be a clear delineation of duties and responsibilities to those involved in the transaction to avoid confusion and misperception,” they added.
The audit team reported that the OVP submitted the lacking documents on May 16, 2023 and gave assurances that in the future similar transactions would be supported by full documentation.
In addition, state auditors noted that the OVP failed to avail of the value-added tax exemption for senior citizens and persons with disabilities who sought assistance from the agency for the purchase of generic and branded medicines.
