The Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned Camarines Norte provincial officials on the distribution of 52 emergency and rescue vehicles without adopting procedures in the selection and evaluation of the prospective barangay recipients.
COA said that Camarines Norte purchased 53 vehicles in 2023. Fifty-two units were distributed to various barangays.
The vehicles were intended for use in far-flung barangays to transport sick or injured persons to or from places of treatment. The vehicles were supposed to offer safety and comfort for the constituents of the province to avoid aggravating their illnesses or injuries.
But, it said, its audit team found that Camarines Norte failed to establish clear-cut guidelines for the selection and evaluation of the barangay recipients of the said vehicles, which, therefore, cast doubt as to the eligibility of the beneficiaries.
It noted that there were no attached documents to the disbursement vouchers pertaining to the procedures adopted by the province in the selection and evaluation of prospective barangay recipients.
"The absence of documented parameters to determine the eligibility of the respective recipients did not optimize the assurance that the said assets were distributed with a view to ensuring the effectiveness of the program and achievement of the intended purpose," COA said.
"The inability of the management to establish clear-cut guidelines on the selection and evaluation of prospective barangay recipients of the above-mentioned vehicles cast doubt on the eligibility of the beneficiaries, propriety of the distribution and the attainment of the project’s objective to assist far-flung barangays in the transport of sick or injured individuals," it also said.
Confronted with the findings, COA said that the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) admitted that a formalized guideline in the selection and evaluation of barangay recipients is yet to be established, and the selection process conducted was facilitated with the assistance of the Governor’s Office (GO).
It recommended that the province submit its justification for the distribution of the subject vehicles to the identified barangay recipients. It also urged the province to establish clear-cut guidelines on evaluation and selection of beneficiaries to ensure that the objectives of distribution of emergency transport and rescue vehicles are achieved.