MANILA, Philippines โ The Commission on Audit (COA) has urged the Office of the President (OP) to enforce stricter policies in granting financial assistance to local government units (LGUs) and public hospitals, citing alarmingly low utilization rates of allocated funds.
In its 2023 annual audit report, the COA revealed that only a fraction of the โฑ1.53 billion disbursed for medical equipment procurement and indigent patient care was actually used by the recipients.
The financial assistance from the OPโs Socio-Civic Project Fund (SCPF) released to government hospitals in 2023 amounted to โฑ1.48 billion . Only โฑ80.64 millionโor just five percentโwas spent by year-end. This left an unused balance of โฑ1.397 billion.
Among the five recipient hospitals and institutions flagged for zero disbursement were the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC), Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC), Department of Health (DOH), Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC), and the Provincial Government of Zamboanga Sibugay, which oversees public hospitals in the province.
The audit breakdown highlighted significant unspent amounts: โฑ64.824 million for ZCMC, โฑ200 million for the POC, โฑ830 million for the DOH, โฑ100 million for CVMC, and โฑ50 million for Zamboanga Sibugayโs public hospitals.
The COA underscored the need for more efficient fund allocation and monitoring mechanisms to ensure that critical financial assistance reaches the intended beneficiaries. It recommended that the OP enhance its oversight to prevent further delays in fund utilization, which could otherwise undermine healthcare services for vulnerable communities.
This report raises concerns about the effectiveness of the OPโs socio-civic programs, spotlighting the gap between funding distribution and actual implementation.
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