The government has more than P37.1 million worth of relief goods which have remained undistributed and exposed to loss, wastage or misappropriation, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.
In its 2022 audit on the Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM), COA said that storage and timely distribution have become the top concerns for the past two to eight years ending 2022.
Citing an example, COA said that the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has various inventories worth P37.104 million consisting of sleeping kits, medical supplies, portable water filtration systems, tents, generator sets, portable toilet, and water pumps among other items.
The items have remained undistributed and non-moving in the books of accounts ranging from two to eight years and, thus, exposed to loss, wastage, or misappropriation.
It cited that under Section IV.C.8 of its Circular No. 2014-002, donated relief goods should be sorted, inventoried or counted, and recorded upon receipt and before repacking. It also said that the distribution of the donated items should be made immediately, especially the perishable goods or items.
Another issue pointed out by the COA is the improper storage of food and non-food items (NFIs). In particular, it cited the storage facility of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which is located at Chapel Road, NAIA 2 in Pasay City.
It said the state auditors found DSWD"s storage facility in Pasay City "not well-maintained and in a state of disrepair," therefore making it unfit to accommodate relief goods. It even warned that the storage facility's condition makes it more prone to theft, vandalism, and other security breaches.
It also said the overall condition of the storage facility is "subpar" and does not even meet the required standards for safe and secure storage environment for food and non-food items.
"The external structure showed visible signs of wear and tear, including broken windows, damaged roofing and missing part of the entrance door. Its fences were made of galvanized metal only, which could allow unauthorized entry in the storage area," COA's report stated.
"The flooring, walls and ceiling of the internal storage area were likewise deteriorated and requires immediate action. The lighting and ventilation systems were inadequate, further exacerbating the problems within the facility," it added.
What was worse, it said, was that comfort rooms were used as storage for National Food Authority (NFA) rice. "Such conditions of the storage facility pose a safety hazard to the warehouse staff and the stored goods," it said.
During the warehouse inspection, COA said its audit team found that the piling system for relief goods was not observed as there were no pallets or square timber used as base for the stocks on file. Relief goods were stacked one on top of the other with no clear organization or label of items, it said
Since food packs were stacked one on top of the other with no proper labelling, some of these have already been damaged or expired, it said. "The staff informed us that they had to transfer the goods, especially for coffee and cereals, due to cockroaches and rats in the building. They also disclosed that no regular pest control measures were conducted in the facility," it said.
Also, COA said that the DSWD staff responsible for receiving and releasing the goods even hold their office in the aisle at the main entrance of the building, an area that is not conducive for working because it is not even enclosed.
It said that the workers told auditors that they repack relief goods in the said aisle, and the food packs and family kits are then stored in a tent outside the building because there was no more space on the first floor.
COA recommended that the DSWD immediately repair the storage facility in order to conform with storage standards to prevent further deterioration of on-hand relief goods.
It also recommended that the DSWD provide an enclosed space for the warehouse staff and conduct regular maintenance of the warehouse facility.