The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has expressed dismay over a Commission on Audit (COA) report stating that 65.5 percent of disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) projects amounting to P42 million have yet to be implemented by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa)/Caritas Philippines, said over Radyo Veritas that the P42 million may be used by politicians under the Liberal Party (LP) for the 2016 elections.

READ: COA: ‘Yolanda’ aid wasted, unused

He explained that the COA report is a proof of the DILG’s shortcomings under the leadership of Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who is the standard-bearer of the ruling party.

“Lagi ngang daing ng mamamayan hindi nila makita ang sapat at epektibong tulong ng gobyerno kahit ng pamahalaang lokal thru DILG na rin, kaya sukatan din ito sa mga kandidato ngayon sa kanilang kakayahang sumaklolo at pagpatupad ng programa lalot higit sa emergency,” the CBCP official said.

(The people have always complained that they haven’t seen adequate and effective assistance of the government and even local governments through the DILG so it may also be a way to assess a candidate’s performance on how he addresses and accomplishes a program, especially when there is an emergency.)

“Malaking pagkukulang dito ng DILG ayon sa data na yan. Ito’y pagkukulang na kailangang tanggapin. Ang mahalaga ay tumulong, nakakatakot naman na ang perang natitira ay magamit sa eleksyon,” he added.

(This is a major shortcoming on the part of the DILG, based on that data. It is a shortcoming that should be acknowledged. It is important to help and it is frightening to think that the unused money could be used for the elections.)

READ: DILG probes hoarding of relief goods in ‘Yolanda’ areas

Gariguez also said he has personally observed that many survivors of super typhoon “Yolanda” still need help from the government.

He claimed that the government has constructed only 2,000 housing units as of this year while the CBCP-Nassa has distributed 3,000 houses.

READ: Gov’t withheld funds for barangay disaster preparedness–COA

According to the COA’s annual audit report on the DILG in 2013, P76 million was allocated for DRRM projects of the DILG but P42,928,044.12 “was unimplemented due to lack of coordination and monitoring of project activities among the implementing offices.”

The COA report also said that P10 million worth of donation in 2012 for the relief, recovery and rehabilitation of areas affected by typhoon “Pablo” remained unused up until the end of 2013. Kristine Angeli Sabillo/RAM