Congressional audit of Yolanda funds sought

MANILA, Philippines - Members of the independent bloc in the House of Representatives are seeking a congressional audit of the billions of pesos poured into areas that Super Typhoon Yolanda had devastated.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, a leader of the bloc, said financial records and other documents from government agencies involved in rehabilitation work in Yolanda-hit areas should be submitted to the House.

“Why can’t they come out with an itemized breakdown or accounting of the Yolanda funds more than a year after the tragedy?” Romualdez asked.

“It’s a basic rule in government that each and every disbursement of funds must be fully documented, ” he added.

Romualdez said around P9.5 billion of the P23.4-billion supplemental appropriation Budget Secretary Florencio Abad wants Congress to approve is purportedly for Yolanda reconstruction projects.

“They’ll just use our people from Yolanda-devastated areas as an excuse to justify their request for billions of funds. How can we be sure if these monies will go to the survivors?” Romualdez said.

Abakada-Guro Rep. Jonathan de la Cruz said concerned agencies have not accommodated requests to account for Yolanda funds.

 “To this day, all we know is what government officials claim or allege in media,” he said.