COA flags OCD over unliquidated ‘Yolanda’ funds

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MANILA, Philippines — State auditors have called out the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for P24.64 million in utilized but unliquidated funds meant for victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan).

The Commission on Audit (COA) told the OCD to require the fund recipient, Leyte Metropolitan Water District (LMWD), to submit a liquidation report for the utilized funds. The OCD was also told to require the LMWD to furnish a copy of the notice of award and other contract documents and for concerned OCD officials to inspect the project’s progress.

Based on a 2020 audit report, the OCD transferred P42 million in Yolanda funds to the LMWD in June 2019 for the installation of 14,000 water meters and other accessories for homes built in resettlement areas in Tacloban City.

State auditors found that the LMWD had utilized P24.64 million to pay for the water meters in the resettlement sites as of June 2020. But the amount had remained unliquidated and unrecorded.

—JULIE M. AURELIO
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