P135-M veggie scam bared; lists unreadable
COA FINDINGS
By Jocelyn Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
09/16/2008
Did the p135 million worth of vegetable seeds the government purchased last year reach the country’s poor farmers?
In the absence of lists identifying the farmer-beneficiaries, the Commission on Audit (COA) doubts whether the seeds were actually distributed under the “Gulayan ng Masa” program.
“The receipt by beneficiaries of vegetable seeds and planting materials distributed by various regional field units could not be fully validated due to the absence/incomplete master list of recipients and other deficiencies, casting doubt on the truthfulness of the transactions,” the COA said in its latest report on the Department of Agriculture.
The same report has revealed several anomalies in the P218.7-million procurement of hybrid rice, certified seeds, farm inputs and fertilizers by the government last year. These included fake signatures in the list of beneficiaries and the unequal or the non-distribution of the government-subsidized seeds to intended farmers.
In its report on the agriculture department’s GMA (Ginintuang Masaganang Ani) program under the “Gulayan ng Masa,” the COA noted that lists identifying farmer-beneficiaries were absent or “not legible” and carried incomplete information.
The audit team also found out that the agency had no information on whether the farmers actually received the farm inputs or that the program was effective in improving the quality of life of the farmers because the regional offices failed to monitor and evaluate the distribution of the seeds.
At least 10 regional field units (RFUs) of the agricultural department spent a total of P135,341,015.32 last year on various vegetable seeds and planting materials for the program intended to augment the income of farmers during the gap in planting seasons of rice and corn to reduce rural hunger and malnutrition.
No public bidding
These regional offices were in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Western and Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Caraga.
Of the amount, P66.55 million was spent on vegetable seeds while the rest on planting materials.
The beneficiaries in Southern Tagalog, Bicol and CAR were not named, according to the report. Some of those identified, however, carried incomplete information as to the address, the quantities received and the signatures of the recipients.
The lists of names submitted by the respective regional units were also unreadable, making the validation of the distribution of the seeds difficult, according to the COA.
The regional office in Southern Tagalog also skipped public bidding for the purchase of vegetable seeds and planting materials even if there was no immediate need for them.
The report said the regional field unit in Southern Tagalog spent P33.16 million for the farm inputs last year.
“In most cases, purchases of vegetable seeds and planting materials in RFU-4 were made thru negotiation instead of public bidding, justified by the immediate need,” the COA said.
“However, the need [was] not really immediate since the planting materials were stored for further distribution as certified by the property and supply officer,” it added.
Seeds had long expired
There was also one instance when procurement took place nine months after the request from the Office of the Legislator—a period which could have given the regional field unit “ample time” to conduct public bidding, the COA pointed out.
Farmer-recipients who received the government-subsidized vegetable seeds in CAR complained that the seeds they received had very low germination because they had either been kept in storage for a long time or were already expired.
Some of the farmers also did not prefer the seeds procured by the government, making its distribution difficult.
During its audit, the COA found out that P513,695 of the P14,730,466.32 worth of vegetable seeds procured by the regional field unit in the Caraga region remained undistributed.
But in a reply to the audit team, which was included in the report, the agriculture department said all the seeds it procured had undergone germination tests. Their expiry dates were also tested.
The agriculture department also pointed out that poor germination could not be blamed solely on the seeds but to other factors affecting the seeds as well.
Reiterating its recommendations in the previous years, which the department has apparently failed to implement, the COA advised the agency to set up accountability and transparency measures and facilitate the validation and accounting of all vegetable seeds distributed.
It also asked the agriculture department to require the submission of valid lists of beneficiaries with specific details, including the exact location of the project areas to be planted and complete name and address of the beneficiaries.