WHEN the provincial government of Palawan signed the memorandum of agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the implementation of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) on June 25, 2020, it identified workers from 12 municipalities in addition to the provincial capital of Puerto Princesa City.
Government auditors however found that out of the 12 listed municipalities, only one received government assistance while the province gave cash assistance to another town that was not even included initially.
The Tupad emergency assistance was intended to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic for workers who lost their jobs and were experiencing difficulties supporting their families.
Of the 12, only Brookes Point benefited from the emergency employment compensation program with 57 residents receiving a total of P182,400.
The municipalities of Culion, Agutaya, Coron, Magsaysay, Araceli, Busuanga, Cuyo, Cagayancillo, Balabac, Linapacan, and Narra received nothing even if they were specifically named in the MOA.
On the other hand, the municipality of Aborlan which was not even mentioned in the MOA received P406,400 benefitting 127 workers.
In addition, 59 workers from Puerto Princesa City received a total of P188,800 under the Tupad program.
Adding the sum given to workers of Brookes Point, the Commission on Audit said the provincial government was only able to pay out P777,600 or just a little over 12 percent of the total P6.16 million released to it by the DOLE.
The audit team said it found no justification why Palawan failed to distribute the Tupad benefits as intended to the 11 municipalities that were identified in the MOA.
It also questioned the deviation from the original terms of the agreement which resulted in the inclusion of Aborlan and the elimination of the 11 municipalities from the list of beneficiaries.
It added that the MOA was intended to minimize the exercise of discretion by public officials tasked to implement the program.
“While it may be commendable and noble to help fellows who are suffering from the economic effect of this COVID-19 pandemic, considering further that the virus does not discriminate, this does not allow public officials entrusted to administer the funds to grant amelioration funds to ineligible beneficiaries while depriving those qualified beneficiaries,” the COA said.
And while almost 88 percent of the program funds remained in the hands of the provincial government, the 11 other LGUs were left waiting for help that never came.
“The fund is intended to enable the underemployed, self-employed workers, and displaced marginalized workers who have lost their livelihood or whose earnings were affected during and after the implementation of the community quarantine,” auditors pointed out.
The COA called the attention of the provincial governor that it is his responsibility to ensure that government funds are spent only for their stated purpose.
In its reaction to the audit finding, the provincial government claimed it signed a subsequent MOA with DOLE-Mimaropa.
However, the audit team said a copy of the subsequent MOA should have been submitted to it.
“The management has to prove that a valid agreement was subsequently entered into by the DOLE MIMAROPA and the PGP especially on the deviation made from the intended purpose stipulated in the original MOA,” the COA added.
