BAGUIO CITY March 31 – The Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) passed a resolution enjoining local government units (LGUs) and partner agencies to liquidate or return unspent 2012-2014 Special Program for Cordillera Autonomous Region (SPCAR) project received, saying that the region’s policy-making body will not endorse the annual budgets of the local governments and agencies who refuse to comply with the said directive.
During its recent first quarter meeting held here, the RDC-CAR cited the unliquidated project funds have resulted to the low financial accomplishment of the SPCAR and seemingly low absorptive capacity of the region’s policy-making body in managing and supervising the project implementation of the funds that were downloaded to them as early as 2012.
It can be recalled that in the national budget of 2012, the RDC-CAR received an appropriation of P15 million for the social preparation of CAR into an autonomous region in order to continue the massive information education campaign for the grassroots level to understand the true essence of achieving self-governance.
The RDC-CAR reportedly funded 19 projects to be implemented by local government units, regional line agencies and partner agencies within 2012 to 2013 but the same projects were not reportedly completed by the different implementing agencies.
Of the 19 projects, only 9 were completed and fully liquidated from 2012-2014, and 10 projects are still to be completed and liquidated as of February 2015.
Of the P11.960 million released to the local governments, regional line agencies and partner agencies from 2012-2014, only P8,325,299.24 have been fully liquidated and 6 local governments, 2 regional line agencies, and one partner agency have yet to complete the implementation of their funded projects and liquidate the downloaded funds.
The RDC-CAR disclosed the implementation of the 9 projects had already exceeded the project duration stipulated in their respective memorandum of agreements and supplemental memorandum of agreements between the policy-making body, the local governments, regional line agencies and partner agencies.
Milagros A. Rimando, Regional Director of the Cordillera office of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA-CAR) and RDC-CAR Vice Chairperson, said if local governments, regional line agencies and partner agencies were not able to use the funds for the programmed purposes, then it is best for them to return the funds to the NEDA-CAR in order to ensure that they will have a clean record in the utilization of funds from the project.
However, Rimando claimed if the concerned local governments and agencies used up the funds for their programmed autonomy information and education interventions, then they must fast track the completion of their documentary requirements to satisfy the auditors of their compliance to the project implementation.
“We appeal to our local government officials and line agency executives to fast track their liquidation of the funds that were previously downloaded to them purposely for their projects aligned with the renewed pursuit for regional autonomy so that their records will be cleared and not await for further notices from auditors that might affect their respective fiscal positions in the future,” Rimando said, saying that the prompt liquidation of funds downloaded to them would speak of sound fiscal management.