OVP defends relief operations flagged by COA

The photo of the Commission on Audit's office in Quezon CIty taken on August 17, 2021.

The STAR / Michael Varcas

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Vice President (OVP) yesterday defended its relief operation discrepancies after the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the agency over inconsistencies, deviations from orders and missing or incomplete documents in relation to its P168 million worth of activities in 2025.

“The Office of the Vice President (OVP) clarifies that the matter cited in the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Funds Audit Report pertains to deficiencies in certain pre-operation documentary requirements set by the OVP itself as part of its internal procedures, and not requirements imposed by any law or Commission on Audit regulation,” it said. 

In a 273-page report on the 2025 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, the COA said it found discrepancies in the situation reports prepared by the OVP and the validation prepared by local government units for relief operations involving P19.67 million worth of welfare goods.

Discrepancies were found in the reported number of affected families while some local government units did not indicate a beneficiary count.

“The discrepancies arose from changes in circumstances and field conditions that became apparent as the operations were carried out. No funds were lost and all funds are accounted for,” the OVP added. 

The OVP maintained that the relief operations were actually carried out, and the beneficiaries were recorded and validated based on the available supporting documents and field records submitted to the COA Audit Team.