Aquino pressed to account for ‘missing’ P3.77-B CCT funds

PRESIDENT Aquino was asked on Monday to explain and account for the P3.77 billion of conditional cash-transfer (CCT) funds which government auditors found to be missing or unaccounted for in 2011.

Salvador France, vice chairman of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said the President and his alter ego in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Secretary Dinky Soliman, are duty-bound to present the real score on the missing P3.77-billion CCT funds, which were disbursed last year by the Aquino administration.

“Mr. Aquino and Ms. Soliman, as warranted by public interest, are obliged to explain and deliver a full-blown accounting of the P3.77-billion CCT funds which are either sourced from or paid by taxpayers’ money in 2011,” France said.

According to France, Mr. Aquino and Soliman must come clean and prove “the funds are accounted properly and judiciously spent in accordance with public welfare and national interest.”

The Commission on Audit (COA) findings on unaccounted and highly questionable disbursement of P3.77-billion CCT funds, according to the group, should merit investigation of the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives.

He said the Congress oversight committee, together with independent groups, should lead the investigation on the missing or unaccounted CCT fund.

Lawmakers, according to France, should cross party lines and put the controversy before public scrutiny.

“The lawmakers should bear in their minds that the public is looking for an honest-to-goodness inquiry on the missing P3.77-billion CCT funds,” France said.

The COA performance audit report submitted to Mr. Aquino on September 27 also revealed other multibillion-peso anomalies, like the P26 billion in Customs duty and tax drawbacks given which were found illegal.

According to Pamalakaya, the same COA report also revealed that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) transferred or released to local governments some P2.6 billion from the special account in the general funds, which were found irregular.

The group said based on the COA report, the first year of President Aquino was marred with “unauthorized/irregular/unnecessary expenses, unliquidated cash advances, violations of the Procurement Act, underassessment/undercollection, unutilized/ineffective projects, and lack of appropriation” as the group cited as an example the Toll Regulatory Board’s understating of its liabilities for P2.8 billion, while the Philippine Air Force underutilized its budget for P1.6 billion last year.

On the other hand, the Department of the Interior and Local Government released P1.043 billion for unprogrammed projects or activities, and the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) bloated its accounts receivable balance by P797 million representing disputed debts and delayed or suspended projects worth P1.2 billion.

The COA report also found out that the Philippine Coast Guard failed to account the procurement of Marine Environment and Protection Equipment and Supplies from the DOTC worth P319 million, while some P169.4 million rentals for the University of the Philippines-Ayala Techno Hub property could not be verified due to lack of supporting documents.

The COA report also cited the case of inflatable boats in the Office of the Civil Defense and failure of the Department of Energy to efficiently distribute compact fluorescent lamps, which were acquired through a P172-million contract. –Jonathan L. Mayuga / Reporter, Businessmirror