The Office of the Vice President (OVP) clarified that the deficiencies cited in the Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Funds Audit Report involved internal pre-operation documentary requirements and did not result in any loss of public funds.
In a statement, the OVP said the requirements in question were part of its own internal procedures and were not imposed by law or by Commission on Audit (COA) regulations.
According to the OVP, the discrepancies arose from changes in circumstances and field conditions that became apparent during the actual conduct of relief operations.
“No funds were lost, and all funds are accounted for,” the OVP said in a statement.
It added that the relief operations were carried out and that beneficiaries were recorded and validated based on available supporting documents and field records submitted to the COA Audit Team.
The OVP also said it continues to strengthen its documentation, validation, and monitoring procedures to ensure that records for every operation are complete and properly maintained, particularly during emergency responses and calamities.
