COA flags Design Center of the Philippines for spending P1.9M budget for senior citizens, persons with disabilities for other programs in 2023


The Design Center of the Philippines (DCP), an agency under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), spent P1.9 million of the budget allocated for senior citizens and persons with disability (SCPDs) for other plans and programs in 2023, the Commission on Audit (COA) said.

In its 2023 annual audit report, COA said that DCP spent P2,480,179.57 for SCPDs. However, it said that upon checking the programs and projects implemented, state auditors discovered that only P567,040.61 was directly spent for SCPDs while P1,913,138.96 went to other plans and programs.

It named three programs and activities that did not address the concerns of SCPDs, namely: the conduct of Technology Workshop for Sourcing, Bleaching, and Dyeing Fibers for Accelerate Sulu Program of the Center of Humanitarian Dialogue and Tumikang Sama-Sama, Inc.; the Pinyapel Investors Forum; and the Design Center 50 years and beyond program which highlighted product development and design in past 50 years.

It pointed out that while there were SCPD participants in the programs, it was found that the main goal of the undertakings did not address the needs and concerns of SCPDs. 

"The primary objectives of these programs were to facilitate workshops and/or promote product development and design, aligning with the agency's mandates. It is merely coincidental that senior citizens and persons with disabilities were present during these programs," the report noted.

"It is imperative to emphasize that programs not directly related to or focused in addressing the concerns of SCPDs should not be included in the accomplishment report. Doing so would risk misrepresentation and inaccurate reporting," it said. 

There were four other programs which cost the agency P567,040.61 and were explicitly designed to address the concerns of SCPDs. COA said these programs were information dissemination of disability prevention to raise awareness of individuals and families at risk of the effects of disability conditions, implementation of DTI-PRAISE that would recognize and award retiring employees, and orientation on retirement benefits with GSIS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth.

COA then recommended that the DCP should ensure that only SCPD-related programs and activities are incorporated in the SCPD accomplishment report in accordance with Section 36 of Republic Act No. 11936, the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023.

It also asked DCP to prepare more realistic programs and activities for SCPDs to address fully the concerns of senior citizens and persons with disabilities in accordance with the provision of  RA 11936.