LGUs subject to COA audit over social amelioration fund

April 12, 2020

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) on Sunday said local government units (LGUs) will have to refund or reimburse the social amelioration fund given to them if found that they distributed it to unqualified beneficiaries.

In a virtual presser, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the LGUs must follow the guidelines set by the national government after reports that some of them split the P5,000 to P8,000 cash subsidy to two families instead of one beneficiary only.

Nograles said the IATF guidelines were subject to Commission on Audit rules.

“If you will not follow the guidelines, you might face a problem once you were audit by COA,” he said.

He said LGU officials will also have to sign a memorandum of agreement which will be included in the documents they will submit to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“It is included in the MOA, which you know, what is the responsibility of the LGUs… and included also is if you did not properly distribute the money, the LGU is constrained to refund,” he said.

“There will be a risk because number one, included also in the MOA that within 15 calendar days, DSWD will have to validate the distribute funds… and if found that some beneficiaries were not qualified, the LGU will be constrained to reimburse those funds given to those who are not qualified,” he added.

The LGUs found to have violated the guidelines will face administrative, civil, and criminal charges.

Meanwhile, Nograles told the people, especially those who will not be included in the qualified beneficiaries, that they can avail the grievance mechanism and appeals system.

“So you can appeal to DSWD within three days, and then within three days, DSWD will make a decision by checking that names, if these families are qualified but were not given assistance by the LGU,” he said.

Giving assistance to the people is the government’s number one priority.

“I would just like to explain that LGUs have limitation. They have to follow what is written here, otherwise they will be the one to face consequences from COA,” Nograles said. Ella Dionisio/DMS