After the Commission on Audit (COA) reported P132 million in unspent disaster fund in Kabankalan City as of December 31, 2023, the city government clarified that it fully programmed the funds for various disaster mitigation projects.
City Administrator MacLord Zafra told Brigada News FM-Kabankalan on Monday, February 3, that the city fully programmed the budget in 2023.
He explained that by “fully programmed,” the city allocated and designated the funds for specific projects and put execution plans in place.
However, before COA closed its accounting books for the year, the city had not finished several projects, including flood mitigation efforts in various villages, by the end of 2023, Zafra said.
He also clarified that COA labeled the disaster fund as “unspent” because the city still had major projects in progress, which extended into 2024 before the city completed them.
Zafra added that the city fully obligated and used the entire P132 million for disaster preparedness projects. While some these projects are still ongoing, the budget will reflect as “fully utilized” once the city completes them.
On another note, unutilized funds in disaster preparedness and response efforts violate the NDRRMC-DBM-DILG Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2013-1, which mandates authorities to effectively monitor and implement disaster risk management projects.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.