National and local government agencies that have budgets to address disaster risk management have failed to implement 90 percent of recommendations made by the Commission on Audit to address adverse audit findings the agency made in 2019.

This was revealed in the recently-released 2020 audit report on Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund of government units that received funding under the 2020 General Appropriations Act and from donations.

“Out of the total appropriations, DBM (Department of Budget and Management) released P30.474 billion for NDRRM, QR, MRRRP and Cared during the year. Meanwhile, 1,465 LGUs reported receipt of P42.563 billion LDRRM fund for CY 2020,” COA said.

The audit agency referred to the programs under the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management (NDRRM); Quick Release Fund (QRF); Marawi Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program and the Comprehensive Aid to Repair Earthquake Damage (CARED) for Regions XI and XII.

Donations received by various agencies totaled P11.074 billion in 2020.

In the report submitted by Supervising Auditor Juvy E. Onia, COA disclosed that out of the 40 prior years audit recommendations proposed by the audit agency in 2019, only ten percent or four recommendations were implemented.

A total 36 audit recommendations, representing 90 percent of the total, were not implemented.

Included in the unimplemented advice were the low utilization rate of 43.28 percent of the P7.83-billion and non-liquidation of fund transfers by implementing agencies of the Department of Agriculture.

The fund transfers for financial assistance for victims of typhoon Yolanda and Marawi siege made by the AFP-GHQ to major services and operating units were not liquidated. Transfers for the two programs totaled P679,822.20 and P65,845,155.53, respectively.

The lack of control in the distribution of relief goods and failure to submit list of recipients by certain LDRRM’s were also not implemented, COA said.

The transfer of donations to the PDRRM Special Trust Fund depository bank account has not been complied with. So was the procurement of relief goods through the QRF that were made by 27 LGU before concerned localities were declared under a state of calamity.

The 2020 report also noted that unutilized balances of LDRRMF of LGU’s that were recorded from five years ago were still not reverted to the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund.