OCD scrimped on doleouts for Marawi

The Office of Civil Defense has spent only about P10,000 out of the P36.9-million donation for the victims of the Marawi siege, according to the Commission on Audit.

Based on the commission’s 2018 audit report, the P10,000 went to the family of one of the victims who was killed during a firefight between government troops and the terrorists in 2017.

“Clearly, the donations were not utilized to provide for the much-needed support of the Marawi siege victims,” the report says.

“The poor utilization of the donated funds defeated the purpose of the donation, and that the good intention of the donors for human consideration was not fully served.”

The National Disaster Coordinating Council Memorandum Order No.13 ordered the Office of Civil Defense to provide a disaster victim with P10,000 in financial assistance if a family member is killed and P5,000 if injured.

The injured victims were asked to submit some documents, such as a medical certificate, a local disaster coordinating council police report and an endorsement for the payment of claims, hampering them to avail themselves of the government’s financial aid, state auditors said.

The kin of those who died during the Marawi crisis was asked to present a death certificate, a barangay certificate, proof of filial relationship, a local disaster coordinating council police report and an endorsement for the payment of claims from the LDCC chairman.

The commission said the relatives of those who died as well as the survivors were only given a year from the time of the siege to claim the financial grant. 

“The production alone of the above documents could be very burdensome for some victims, which could be one of the causes of the low utilization of donated funds,” the commission said.

Armed fighters from the two ISIS-affiliated groups―the Maute and Abu Sayyaf jihadists―stormed Marawi, capturing key government buildings and setting fire on churches and schools on May 23, 2017.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military to attack the ISIS fighters, and that led to the destruction of thousands of homes and other structures and the death of civilians, soldiers, and rebels.    

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