The Department of the Interior and Local Government said Friday 85 percent or P3.455 billion of the total P4.055 billion under the Recovery Assistance for Yolanda had been liquidated by concerned local government units and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said the remaining 15 percent (P600.67 million), which remains unliquidated, “mostly represented current projects being implemented by the LGUs.”
“There have been significant accomplishment in the implementation of the “Yolanda” projects in the concerned LGUs from January to June this year that were not captured in the Commission on Audit [COA] report whose cut-off date is December 31, 2018,” Año said.
In its report, state auditors flagged the DILG for its failure to liquidate P1.059 billion Yolanda funds as of December 2018. This covered P219 million RAY funds transferred to the DPWH and P839.877 million funds transferred to LGUs.
DILG spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya told a news conference there had been a significant implementation of the RAY projects from January to June of this year.
Malaya said: “From January to June this year, there has been significant implementation of the projects…”
Año said the task of liquidating the funds already was on the shoulders of the implementing agencies DPWH and LGUs as the DILG had transferred the funds to them.
“Nevertheless, we are still actively and continuously monitoring and coordinating with the DPWH and LGUs to fast track the liquidation of the funds entrusted to them,” the DILG chief said.
The RAY project covers the repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction of government facilities damaged by Typhoon Yolanda such as municipal halls, public markets, civic centers, barangay facilities, and similar infrastructure using the Build Back Better designs.
The DILG said the DPWH has completed all of their 25 RAY projects, while the LGUs have completed a total of 4,403 projects.
It added that a total of 370 projects are undergoing implementation, 25 are on procurement process and six projects are being prepared of documentary requirements.