Inefficiency, red tape
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Oriental, in the exercise of its oversight function, cracked the whip on two provincial officials for delays in the distribution of the government’s CoViD-19 assistance to the people of the Province.
In a caucus prior to a special session last Friday, Vicky Enopia, OIC of the Provincial Social Welfare & Development Office, came under fire for the manner of distribution of relief assistance.
Enopia was asked for a list of beneficiaries, but she said she could not give such information because of the Data Privacy Act.
Her answer did not sit well with the Board Members, and continued to ask her where she got the names of the beneficiaries.
Enopia said the names were based on a list made by the Department of Social Welfare & Development in 2019, which is the basis for the selection of beneficiaries for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).
Vice Gov. Mark Macias, however, insisted on having a copy of the list of names of beneficiaries to erase doubts that the relief assistance will be given only to some favored people.
“Even the President has gone on TV [saying] that this assistance should not be politicized. If you cannot give the names, doubts will prevail. And your office is in charge of giving the names,” Vice Governor Macias admonished Enopia.
He said the money for the government’s Social Amelioration Program should be given not just to the beneficiaries of the 4Ps but to those who are displaced, such as drivers of pedicabs, jeepneys, and habal-habal motorcycles.
Macias added that also included in the list should be household helpers who lost their jobs, and those who have businesses with a capital of less than P100,000.
Friday was the deadline of each local government unit to submit the list to the national government so the money could be sent by next week to the LGUs.
Enopia assured they will have the names ready during the distribution of relief goods. “I was instructed by the Governor that when we give these food packs, no politician should touch this,” she said.
She said the PSWDO has distributed assistance to some 3,000 Dumaguete tricycle drivers, consisting of five kilos of rice, four tins of corned beef, four tins of sardines, coffee, and three packs of noodles.
When asked how they determined which pedicab drivers would get assistance, Enopia said they just left a sheet of paper in terminals, asking them to list down the names of pedicab drivers. “We don’t know that many drivers, so we just told them to tell the other drivers that we will give relief goods on this date.”
Philippine Councilors’ League-Negros Oriental President Chaco Sagarbarria lamented that the method of determining the beneficiaries actually favored only a few drivers.
Board Member Jack Raymond also suggested that the PSWDO should have gone instead to the LGU, and called the tricycle drivers based on their officially-assigned registered numbers so there would be order.
Raymond also questioned the manner of packing the relief goods. Instead of centralizing the packing of relief goods, he said there were reports that this was being done in the house of the Governor and in other places. “How can you account for the goods now when you were packing in different places?” he asked.
Board Member Estanislao Alviola also asked Enopia where they purchase their rice supplies. She replied that they buy their NFA rice from three suppliers.
Alviola said the three stores Enopia named are not known as rice dealers. He also pointed out that the budget for 5,886 sacks of “NFA rice” at P2,500 per sack listed in her Purchase Request for P14,715,000 was “way too high”.
Upon realizing the overprice, Enopia immediately corrected herself, saying they were not actually buying NFA rice; but Alviola could not take it.
“Mr. Chairman, I will stop asking! We are wasting time here. We don’t want to fool the people,” Alviola exclaimed, noting that Enopia was not really on top of the situation.
Also on her Purchase Request for the relief goods were 4671 boxes of sardines at P2,300/box or P10,743,300; 3,000 boxes of beef loaf at P2,400/box or P7.2 million; 4,800 boxes of noodles at P720/box or P3,456,000; and 590 packs of plastic bags at P145/pack or P85,550.
A check in one of the three stores mentioned by Enopia showed that their most expensive box of sardines is only P1,800 or a difference of P2.3 million from her Purchase Request. The most expensive box of beef loaf is only P1,775 or a savings of P1.9 million. And the most expensive box of noodles is only P558 or a difference of P777,000.
The same store also denied selling NFA rice, as Enopia had reported to the Sanggunian.
Later on, Enopia was able to provide the SP with a list of over 80,000 intended beneficiaries.
Board Member Chester Lim, however, told Enopia to go over her list because there were several “double listings”. Lim noted the same exact names were listed on pages 3 and 5, but bearing different signatures.
In the end, the SP admonished Enopia: “Take charge. Be on top of your organization.
The goods you have should reach the right people at the right time.”
Meanwhile, Provincial Accountant Teodorico Reyes also earned the ire of the Board Members for putting obstacles in the downloading of funds to the LGUs.
The Board wanted each LGU to get P2 million from the Provincial fund, but Reyes said it is not possible because the rules on the use of the Quick Relief Fund don’t allow it.
Reyes explained that every LGU has its own QRF and that when the Province declared a State of Calamity, all LGUs were allowed to spend their own QRFs to buy goods for their constituents.
“The LGU can actually do negotiated purchases, and not go through the long procurement process,” he said.
Vice Governor Macias countered that the rules on the use of the QRF should not apply in this case because this assistance is from another source.
But Reyes would not budge.
Board Member Jack Raymond asked Reyes if he was willing to certify that he is barred from sending funds to the LGUs, noting that there had been instances in the past when this was done.
“We can not decide on that unless the voucher is in our table,” was the reply of Reyes which angered Vice Governor Macias.
“We are already asking you what you can do to bring the money to the people right away. We cannot be having too much bureaucratic red tape, which is what it is, Ted,” the Vice Governor said.
“You are afraid to go to jail. All of us are afraid to go to jail. We don’t want to go to jail but please, have an open mind!” Macias added that with the public’s bashing about delayed assistance from the Province, Reyes should be placed on social media to answer all of the complaints.
“This is a crisis! I don’t think we will be faulted if everything is accounted for. If you are unsure, let us ask from the higher office if they will agree,” Macias said.
Board Member Jose Baldado also said they do not believe in Reyes’ argument that the Province cannot directly give money to the LGUs because there is no such legal prohibition. “I passed the Bar because that was my answer,” he quipped.
Board Member Chester Lim said the ordinance appropriating P50 million as assistance to the LGUs will not come from the QRF but from the unappropriated balance of the yearly Internal Revenue Allotment.
In the end, Reyes relented, saying there is no problem because it will be taken from the savings, and that it will be subject to liquidation.
The money is expected to reach the LGUs next week.
Negros Oriental has P163 million in its arsenal to spend for anti-COVID activities, and for the purchase of equipment. The amount comes from the unspent QRF for 2018 and 2019 amounting to P72 million, and this year’s QRF budget of P41 million.
On Friday, the Provincial Board also approved the addition of P50 million to be taken from the previous years’ savings.
