DA denies audit report of delays in 67 projects
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday denied the Commission on Audit’s (COA) report showing that the agency has delayed the implementation of 67 rural infrastructure projects under its Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), funded by over P2 billion worth of foreign aid.
Agriculture spokesperson Noel Reyes quoted PRDP Deputy Director Shandy Hubilla as saying that the projects under the COA’s report are “advanced both in physical and financial performance” since they were granted a two-year time extension for the implementation of the projects until December next year.
Projects include the establishment of farm-to-market roads, bridges, communal irrigation systems and portable water systems, promotion of biodiversity conservation, coastal resource comanagement arrangements, business planning and investments.
“The project has instituted measures to catch up with the delays and has put in place strategies enabling work resumption to ongoing PRDP-supported subprojects,” Hubilla said.
