Over half of the more than one million relief packs bought by the Davao City government in 2020 may have either ended up missing or stolen, the Commission on Audit (COA) said in its annual audit report.
The independent audit report, sent by COA-Davao Region Director Roy Ursal to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, showed that 600,000 of the 1,013,016 grocery packs bought between September 1 and October 10, 2020, could not be accounted for.
The quantity would have been more than enough to give every family in Davao more than a pack each. The city has a population of 1.8 million, as of 2020.
A COA team, supervised by state auditor Gloria Cañete, said the relief packs were bought by the city government for P469,398,480 on four separate occasions from three suppliers.
The findings showed that 59.2% of the over one million relief packs may not have been received by the intended beneficiaries as of December 31, 2020.
The packs consisted of rice, canned goods, and noodles bought from Davao ERJV Enterprises, LTS Retail Specialize Incorporated, and DSG Sons Group Incorporated.
The city government bought relief goods from Davao ERJV, which received the biggest chunk of the funds at P218,898,480 or 46% of P469.3 million.
Twice, the local government bought from Davao ERJV – 300,000 packs for P59,898,480 on September 8, 2020, and another 113,016 packs for P159 million on October 10, 2020.
LTS also supplied the city government 300,000 packs at a cost of P159 million on September 1, 2020, while DSG delivered 300,000 more for P91.5 million on October 8 the same year.
Accounted for?
The COA report showed that only the 113,916 packs bought from Davao ERJV on October 10, 2020, were distributed and documented.
Only 100,000 of each of the 300,000 packs bought from the three suppliers were distributed as of the end of 2020. For each of the deliveries, 200,000 relief packs could not be accounted for.
The COA said a review of the disbursement vouchers revealed that there were variances between the number of packs procured and distributed, raising questions about what happened to the 600,000 packs ordered in September and October 2020.
“The variances may cast doubt as to whether the grocery packs were all distributed to the intended beneficiaries. Also, there is a tendency that these goods are missing or stolen because these were not accounted for properly,” read part of the audit report.
State auditors also said the expenses were not supported with original distribution lists of the recipients of the relief items.
What the city government submitted was merely a report that showed the number of relief packs distributed to Davao’s districts and barangays.
The distribution list, required by the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), would have shown details about the recipients of the aid, like their names and signatures and description of the relief goods. The document is necessary for liquidation.
The auditors said they asked for a copy of the list, and were told that it was with the office of Mayor Duterte. But they noted that neither the mayor’s office nor the City General Services Office provided them the document despite requests.
“The non-submission of the said list resulted in the absence of documents to prove the distribution of the relief goods to the beneficiaries thereby precluding the Audit Team from verifying the same,” the COA pointed out in the report.
This prompted auditors to interview social workers assigned to Davao City’s districts and barangays.
Results
Their findings:
- There were damaged canned goods upon receipt of the relief packs.
- Some packs did not have noodles.
- There were instances that the delivery of goods was delayed.
- Some purok leaders noted that the quantity of the relief goods was lacking.
- Inadequate storage facilities were encountered because some packs could not be distributed immediately due to distance and accessibility to constituents.
The COA noted that other documents – such as copies of the master lists, acknowledgment receipts, requisition, and issue slips – were lacking.
The Commission said that, while several documents were submitted, data were incomplete, and because of that “the completeness and propriety of the documents could not be ascertained.”
The COA also made the following observations:
- No date indicated when the relief goods were received.
- There was no name/kind of relief goods received and no quantification.
- The same handwriting strokes were observed which means that the names of the recipients were written by one person.
- The source of the relief goods was not specified.
- There were listed names but without signatures.
- There were recipients whose names were written in the signature column instead of putting the actual signatures.
- There were instances that only one person signed the receipt of the goods on behalf of other recipients without proof of authorization.
Other irregularities
Repetitions were also observed:
- Same name and signature
- Same name with different signatures
- Same name but the other name was without a signature
- Same name with signature and the other is with thumbmark
The COA stated: “Contact numbers of the intended beneficiaries and the date were not indicated,” and “some names were recorded twice resulting in a possibility that one recipient may have received two (2) packs of relief goods.”
It was possible, according to the COA, that some recipients “were not residents of the barangay or are not qualified to receive such.”
The auditors said there were indications too that “that not all intended beneficiaries received the relief goods.”
Another part of the audit report read: “Given these deficiencies, it is apparent that the receipt and distribution of the relief goods for the affected families of the community quarantine were not properly reported and documented, which cast doubt as to whether the said items were actually and properly distributed to its intended beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
City gov’t response
In the management’s comments section, the city government promised that the City Administrator’s Office would thoroughly check the distribution list for succeeding transactions.
The city government also assured the COA that its recommendations in the 2020 annual audit report would serve as a guide for its general services office in future relief operations.
“For the variances noted, the CSWDO issued a certification that the same beneficiaries are recipients of the second and third distribution of packs instead of signing for every pack received by the beneficiary,” the Davao city hall said in its response.
It said the same certification was attached as a supporting document to the disbursement vouchers submitted. – Rappler.com
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