The Commission on Audit has called the attention of the Philippine Air Force for getting over P2 billion from the government to buy ammunition and to replenish the supplies used against the Maute Group during its five-month operations against the terrorists in Marawi City in 2017.
The Budget department released P2.039 billion to the Air Force in 2017 and 2018 “to support the procurement of air munitions, special munitions and projected aircraft requirements and to replenish supplies,” the commission said.
The state auditors said the Air Force had used only P1.49 billion from its budget as of Dec. 31, 2018, but the Air Force assured them it would use the P547-million balance in 2019.
The Air Force said the acquisition of air munitions and other military supplies used up P824 million, and that P303.9 million went to buy supplies.
The Air Force serving as the military’s “aerial warfare service branch” received P312,000 from the Philippine Army as incentives to two female Air Force personnel deployed during the Marawi siege.
“There are no significant findings noted in the audit of utilization of Marawi funds,” the commission said.
State auditors called the attention of the Air Force over the P3.23-million difference in the balance of the Philippine International Trading Corporation to the Air Force worth P537.376 million, and its delay in the delivery of air ammunition worth P193 million.
According to the commission, the discrepancy emanated from the expected delivery of athletic rubber shoes.
The Air Force said it was not able to receive P193 million worth of MK-82 general purpose bombs with accessories and rockets from the trading firm.
The acquisition went through a negotiated procurement via foreign military sales, and not through a bidding.
The Air Force told the commission it settled the discrepancy on March 1, and it promised to comply with the auditors’ recommendations.
The commission blamed the Air Force’s failure to come up with a cost-benefit analysis on the procurement of 960 MK-82 bombs at a more expensive price against the United States of America’s cheaper bombs, saying the government should have exercised due diligence to save at least P16.13 million.
