COA: P214 million project for informal settlers remains idle

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Audit has called out the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) in connection with a housing project worth P214 million in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan which remains idle despite its completion last year.

In a report recently posted on its website, COA said site inspection last Feb. 2 showed that the zero occupancy was due to non-availability of water supply.

The COA said the Department of the Interior and Local Government  issued a certification on March 31, 2014 accrediting 546 member-borrowers as beneficiaries of the housing project in Barrio Panaklayan Muzon. The project, which is composed of 26 buildings, each a three-story with a loft, was completed and turned over to the homeowners’ association last Nov. 5.

The project is for residents of Phase 10 A and B of Bagong Silang, Caloocan who built their houses along Marilao River.

In its comment to the COA report, the SHFC said it learned of the water connection problem only recently.

However, the COA said the SHFC should have conducted a feasibility study on the provision of basic facilities before it approved the project.

“Non-availability of water supply deprived the beneficiaries to move in to their housing units, resulting in ...non-recovery of... financial exposure in the project... and non-attainment of the objectives of the housing program,” the COA said.