Mt Prov SP: No ‘double funding’ of P35.4 million Bayanihan Grant

By Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province --  Seventy-five percent of the province’s P35.4 million Bayanihan Grant to address Covid-19 was disbursed on maintenance and operating expenses for eight control points in provincial borders and food, medicine and repair expenses of four provincial hospitals here as of August 31.

This, as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan answered allegations on “double funding” of the P35.4 million Bayanihan grant and the P41.7 million appropriation release order (ARO) on the annual budget of the Provincial Heath Office following petition for investigation and special audit on said funds by anti- corruption advocates Juniper Dominguez and Salvador Liked.   

Liked was slain in his hometown in Balintaugan, Bauko on Sept. 2.

Provincial records revealed 75% of the P35.4 million Bayanihan Grant equal to 97 percent was disbursed for trainings, laundry janitorial, maintenance (food, personal protective equipment, triage booths and decontamination supplies), drugs and medicines, laboratory supplies, fuel expense, and repair and maintenance of buildings.

Ninety percent of a budgeted P9 million for medical supplies and 100% of a budgeted P4.5 million on drugs and medicine supplies were disbursed to four provincial hospitals of Bontoc, Barlig, Besao and Paracelis.

Other maintenance and operating expenses of P4.6 million out of a budgeted P5 million have also been disbursed to four provincial hospitals and eight control points in provincial borders of Cassag in Paracelis, Sayapot in the Mankayan border, Viewpoint in Banaue Ifugao, Sinto at Bangao Bauko, Burgos at the Ilocos Sur border, Pakak Paracelis and the disaster risk and reduction management office (DRRMO) control point in Bontoc.

For repair and maintenance of buildings of the four provincial hospitals, P6.9 million out of the budgeted P9.4 million was disbursed.

Items on the P35.4 million Bayanihan Grant was specially meant to address Covid-19, Provincial Budget Officer Florence Gut-omen said.

She answered the issue on ‘double funding’ of the SP in the report of the committee on budget and appropriations, public works and highways.

 “While it is true that there are items similarly provided in the annual appropriating ordinance budget of the provincial government and seemingly resulted in double funding, said expenditures were meant to augment existing   appropriations already. Double funding does not presuppose double payment. It cannot be said that the utilization of funds will result in the payment of settlement of one single item of expenditure or would result to double payment.”

A letter was sent by Maria Matib audit team leader of the COA – Mountain Province forwarding questions to the SP after COA received a petition on special audit on the propriety of disbursements of the P35.4 million Bayanihan Grant from Dominguez and Liked.

Said Appropriation Ordinance No 2020-04 dated April 16, 2020 authorized Supplemental Budget No 2 series of 2020 of the provincial government of Mountain Province involving a total appropriation of P35,393,993 which is the Bayanihan Grant to Provinces.

The P35.4 million Bayanihan Grant under the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s Appropriation Ordinance 2020-04 contained same items in Appropriation Release Order (ARO) for maintenance and other operating expenses for fiscal year 2020 totaling P41.74 million.

Dominguez alleged there was a “sinister plot’ to pass on the medical equipment, materials and medicine from the ARO of FY 2020 and charge it to the P35.4 million Bayanihan Grant or vice versa. 

The SP in their committee report stated, “There was no double funding as the items of expenditure are entirely different from those funded by the general fund. While the titles of the expenditures may be the same with titles used in the appropriation ordinance for the general fund. The funds allotted under the Bayanihan Grant was never intended to pay the same items  that will be paid or were already paid by the appropriation made for the general fund. The appropriation made under Appropriation Ordinance 2020-04 are to augment the existing funding of hospitals and other concerned offices to support them in addressing the Covid 19 pandemic which is the very purpose of the Bayanihan grant”.

Gut-omen said items in said ARO are particularly meant for the operations of the Provincial Health Office for the year 2020 and the items identified in the AO 2020-04 specially meant to address Covid- 19.

Said AO No. 2020-04 identified  training expenses  at P300,000; laundry at P300,000; janitorial expense at P300,000; and other MOOE  on maintenance  of duly established  provincial checkpoints  at P5 million, food supply at P1 million, drugs and medicine  at P5 million, medical supplies at P8 million, lab supply expenses  at P3 million, X-ray and ultrasound at P800,000,  fuel oil and lubricants at  P300,00; and maintenance of buildings  and other hospital facilities at P2 million; and capital outlay on various hospital equipment at P9,393,993.

The ARO of FY 2020 identified same items with differing amounts – trainings at P444,000; food supplies at P3.2 million; medical and surgical supplies at P5 million; laboratory at P8.7 million; X-ray and ultrasound at P1.55 million; fuel oil and lubricants at P1.1 million and repair and maintenance of building at P424, 752 totaling to P41.74 million.

Said AO 2020-04 identified maintenance and operating expenses including laundry, training, medical supplies and fuel and repair and maintenance of buildings in the amount of P26 million; and a capital outlay of P9.39 million of various hospital equipment including nebulizers and bio-refrigerator, radio base and sewing machine all totaling P35.39 million.

Dominguez in his petition asked where the training, janitorial, and laundry expenses, bio-refrigerator, podia, nebulizers, biosafety cabinet and cardiac monitor with defibrillator be used when Bauko-based Luis Hora Memorial Regional Hospital is the certified hospital to treat Covid patients in Mountain Province.

Dept. of Health guidelines provide that Level 1 hospitals like some district hospitals can accept Covid patients due to overflowing of  Covid patients in Level 2 and 3 hospitals.

 In a separate petition, petitioner Liked asked the DILG asked what savings are there to draw from as cited in AO 2020-04 when the fiscal year is not yet over.

Said Appropriation Ordinance 2020-04 hinged on section 366 of the Local Government code on use of appropriated funds and savings where “funds shall be available exclusively for the specific purpose for which they have been appropriated.

Said ordinance went on to say, “For this purpose augmentation implies the existence in the budget an item, project, activity or purpose with an appropriation if needed, resources determined to be deficient.

 The SP in their response to COA said savings being referred to in the AO 2020-04 are “future savings that may be generated after the procurement of the funded items which may be used to augment ay item in the budget that will need augmentation. Section 4 of the ordinance was intended to give ready authorization to the provincial governor to do realignments from possible savings whenever necessary.”

Said Bayanihan Grant shall be exclusively used for procurement of personal protective equipment, reagents, and kits for Covid-19 testing, medicines and vitamins, hospital equipment and supplies; disinfectants, sprayers, and other disinfecting supplies and misting equipment as provided in Local Budget Circular No. 126, dated 13 April 2020.

This among other items as food, transportation, and accommodation expenses of health workers; and expenses for the construction, repair or lease of additional  space or building to accommodate Covid-19 patients and persons under monitoring; expenses for training of health personnel, other necessary Covid-19-related P/A/Ps and expenses and operation and maintenance of duly established provincial and municipal checkpoints such as provision of foods, medicines/vitamins, personal protective equipment, and disinfecting supplies.

Said petition was sent also to President Rodrigo Duterte, DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano, Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) Francisco Duque, Secretary of Budget and Management Wendell Avisado, Commission on Audit (COA) chairperson Michael Aguinaldo, Ombudsman Samuel Martires, DILG, Senate Chairman on Committee on Health Senator Christopher ‘Bong’ Go and 28 senators.