GMA's program failed to relocate the poor - COA

MANILA, Philippines – Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s urban poor assistance program was a failure, the Commission on Audit said yesterday.

In its 2009 audit report, the COA said from 2005 to 2009, the Presidential Committee for the Urban Poor (PCUP) was only able to relocate 854 beneficiaries of its Emergency Land Acquisition for Victims of Eviction and Demolition (ELAVED) program.

“(It) failed to effectively implement the program’s objective of responding to the emergency needs of demolished underprivileged families with no relocation assistance,” read the COA report.

The COA said the PCUP, headed by chairman and chief executive officer Percival Chavez, also failed to jumpstart the implementation of a housing program to assist the timely relocation of victims of demolition and eviction.

Only 14.63 percent of the targeted beneficiaries of the ELAVED project were installed in relocation sites, the COA report added.

The COA said implementation of the PCUP financial assistance project was not effectively undertaken due to a number of reasons, including lack of funds for the construction of houses and the relocation site is far from the beneficiary’s source of income.

The failure of the ELAVED project was also attributed to the resistance of beneficiaries to move to another place, relocation sites were not ready for occupancy; inadequate monitoring and inaccurate reporting on the project’s status and delays in its implementation, the COA report added.

The COA said the PCUP’s financial assistance project is a stopgap measure for land tenure security for victims of demolition and eviction.

 “We noted, however, that the objective of the project was not effectively undertaken, considering that in the CY 2005 financial assistance project of PCUP or four years after the payment of P35M to the landowner at Barangay Panghulo, Malabon City for the benefit of 1,500 families consisting of 409 families affected by the Northrail project and 1,091 families affected by court order/decision, only 100 families or 6.67 percent of the 1,500 beneficiaries have resided and (are) actually occupying the area per information given by Mrs. Loro, the president of KARISMA Inc.,” read the COA report.

The COA report said evaluation for the years 2005 and 2006 of the financial assistance project showed that only 53 or 35.33 percent and only 339 or 36.60 percent of the targeted beneficiaries were relocated.

In 2008, the PCUP urgently requested a P100 million fund to take care of the emergency needs of demolition and eviction victims, read the COA report.

However, the COA report said disbursements amounting to P26,680,700 for the financial assistance project show that only 236 or 18.44 percent of the total 1,280 beneficiaries were relocated.

For financial assistance of P43,546,706 granted in 2009 for the benefit of 1,981 beneficiaries, only 126 or 6.36 percent were relocated, the COA report added.

The COA made the following recommendations:

• The agency should determine the needs of the targeted beneficiaries;

• Give more attention to address the causes of the problems affecting the implementation of the financial assistance for land tenure security; and

• Conduct proper planning before embarking on a project to lessen the impact of the problems that may be encountered during its implementation.

Created by Executive Order 82 on Dec. 8, 1986, the PCUP was given its present name in 1987 under Memorandum Order 68.

Its main objective is to serve as the direct link of the urban poor to the government through policy formulation and program implementation addressed to their needs.

The PCUP under the General Appropriations Act of 2009 had a total appropriation of P59,916,000 last year and an additional continuing appropriation of P70,740,679.53 from its unprogrammed fund for 2008, according to COA.