COA cautions Antipolo execs on funds for NGOs

The Commission on Audit (COA) cautioned the Antipolo City government in releasing funds to nongovernment organizations (NGOs) after the agency had difficulty validating P57.8 million in assistance to various groups in 2010 due to inadequate documentation.

The COA noted that the city government released additional funds, taken from the pork barrel of legislators, to one NGO which had failed to liquidate money it received earlier.

City officials, the agency said, should see to it that COA rules are followed and a system is established to monitor projects done by NGOs and people’s organizations to ensure that funds given to them are used for their intended purpose.

Officials should also check the validity and authenticity of reports and documents submitted by the groups to support their use of the funds, COA added.

The Antipolo city government assured the COA that it would comply with its recommendations.

Noncomplaint

In its 2010 report on Antipolo, the COA said the Antipolo government released P23.7 million to the group Kaunlaran at Kagalingan in Antipolo, Inc. (Kaka), with the money coming from the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) of Rep. Roberto Puno.

Another P35 million was released to People’s Organization for Progress and Development Foundation Inc. from the PDAF of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

But according to the audit agency, the NGOs failed to comply with all of the documentary requirements enumerated in a COA circular before the funds were released to them.

These requirements include the certificate of filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the disclosure of other related businesses and an affidavit of the secretary that none of its incorporators, directors and officials are related up to the 4th civil degree to officials of the government office authorized to approve the release of funds.

The rules are meant to provide control and guidance in the granting, use, management, and recording of funds released to NGOs and people’s organizations.

The COA further said the memorandum of agreement between NGOs and Antipolo only contained general terms and lacked details such as the time schedule for the release of funds, the date of completion of the project and the specific period to liquidate the funds, among others.

It also said Kaka received additional funds even if it had not yet fully liquidated earlier releases to it or had submitted an interim fund utilization report. Kaka’s projects were supposed to have been completed in July 2010, but at the end of that year, it had not yet liquidated the funds, it added.

The COA also found that Antipolo officials were not even inspecting the projects that were supposed to be implemented by the NGOs.