Hearings sought on DOTr’s reported underutilization of funds, project delays
MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is calling on the Senate to launch an inquiry into what state auditors earlier flagged as deficiencies, delays and irregularities in the Department of Transportation's project implementation last year.
Sen. Leila de Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 884 on August 31, stressing the need to hold officials accountable for the supposed deficient disbursement of allocated aid funds under the Bayanihan 2 Act as well as other delays in its project implementation reported by the Commission on Audit.
"The underutilization of DOTr’s aid funds not only hindered its optimum use towards much-needed programs, it also immobilized already scarce funds which could have been appropriated towards the health and education sectors especially in this time of pandemic,” De Lima said.
Last week, she sought a probe into COA's finding that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, an agency under the DOTr, spent just 1.07% of the funds allocated its service contracting program, leading to delayed benefits for drivers and operators of public utility vehicles. Sens. Francis Pangilinan and Grace Poe filed separate resolutions urging the same.
In her latest resolution, De Lima cited "issues" that COA found in the implementation of 15 foreign-assisted DOTr projects for 2020 with an aggregate cost of P1.31 trillion as well as misstatements in financial statements.
COA said this "resulted in prolonged/extended implementation period and/or further project delays, possible changes in cost and slippage or low/no actual physical accomplishments of the projects."
State auditors also flagged the agency's failure to deliver license plates despite acquiring P2.16 bilion from registrants. The report also outlined the failure of several regional offices of the Land Transportation Office Disposal Committee to dispose of 2,595 Impounded Motor Vehicle units.
“It is also imperative that DOTr’s policies are looked into to ascertain whether existing bureaucracies in its system hamper the performance of duties,” De Lima said.
“There should be no room for ineptitude and gross negligence in government service, especially at a time when such services are essential to the very survival of our citizens."
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