COA to OCD: Submit to audit to disprove ‘ghost deliveries’

Airing suspicions of “ghost projects” and “ghost deliveries,” the Commission on Audit (COA) has chided the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for failing to submit for audit inspection its deliveries of supplies and completed infrastructure as provided under audit rules.

COA has also assailed the OCD of failing to fully utilize at least 692.7 million in Quick Response Fund (QRF) for victims of calamities and other public emergencies, stressing that this has deprive them of “their basic subsistence needs.”

In its 2013 annual audit report for OCD, the state audit agency said only 17 percent or 121,182,550 of the total available QRF was spent for typhoon Yo l a n d a , with a good portion of the expenditures used for the purchase of petroleum and other lubricants for vehicles.

Pointing out that the non-submission to COA of copies of contracts, purchase orders and other supporting documents was a repeat of OCD’s 2012 audit violation, state auditors warned that OCD officials and personnel might face administrative charges for violation of COA Circular No. 2009-001; Presidential Decree 1445, the Revised Administrative Code or Republic Act 6713.

In the recently- released annual audit report of the OCD, COA said the agency has not submitted to the auditor the required documents supporting purchases, delivery of goods and completion of projects.

Submission of the documents, auditors said, is required under COA Circular No. 2009 and is draws support from the provisions of PD 1445, the Ad- ministrative Code and RA 6713.

In 2013, OCD was entitled to a total 530 million from the government and an additional 162.7 million in continuing appropriations as its QRF.

“Funds were spent for the operational requirements of the Operations Center and POL while none was expended for the basic subsistence needs for victims of disasters,” auditors lamented.

Of the P121.1 million of the 2013 expenditures, 680,193 was allocated for various groceries and medicines but not for calamity victims but as daily subsistence of duty personnel of the OCD’s command center and its regional units.

“With the huge amount entrusted to OCD, the situation and living conditions of victims would have been normalized as quickly as possible,” auditors said.