THE amount of hype for the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) program when it was launched in the second half of 2020 did not translate to cash, leaving the National Housing Authority (NHA) footing the bill totaling P140.347 million.
According to the Commission on Audit, the NHA improperly charged the BP2 expenses from 2020 to 2022 against its subsidy fund intended for the Housing Assistance Program for Calamity Victims (HAPVC).
State auditors noted that under Executive Order No. 114 approved by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on May 6, 2020, funding for the Balik Probinsya program implementation “shall be charged against the existing appropriations of the BP2 Council member agencies.
These were the Departments of the Interior and Local Government, Social Welfare and Development, Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Trade and Industry, Labor and Employment, Health, Information and Communications Technology, Finance, Budget and Management, Public Works and Highways, Transportation, Tourism;
Human Settlements and Urban Development, Education, Environment and Natural Resources, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Mindanao Development Authority, and Cooperatives Development Authority.
Based on the breakdown of expenses, NHA shelled out P82.154 million on BP2 infrastructure projects, P39.5 million for maintenance and other operating expenses, P17.134 million on media coverage, and P1.56 million on equipment.
The infrastructure projects consisted of multipurpose centers and 12 satellite offices, roads, billboards, and gates.
Initially, expenses of the BP2 Program were charged to NHA’s corporate fund amounting to P105.074 million but were later reclassified to “subsidy fund—HAPCV.”
A subsequent expense of P35.273 million was directly charged to the subsidy fund — HAPCV, bringing the total disbursements to P140.347 million.
“It is important to note that no data was provided regarding whether other expenses were charged to other member agencies of the BP2 Council, thus casting doubt whether these expenditures were properly charged to NHA,” the audit team said.
The COA said the NHA should comply with EO No. 114 by insisting that BP2 Council members pay their share of the program’s expenses.
It recommended that the NHA prepare a cost-sharing scheme that would “show the distribution of expenses among member agencies” of the Council.
The NHA management informed the COA that it has asked the DBM to certify a portion of the P1.2 billion 2021 Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for HAPCV or P500 million be allotted for BP2.
