COA questions DA for P9.8B unspent funds

The Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the Department of Agriculture (DA) for failing to spend over P9.8 billion in its 2020 budget.

COA highlighted that PRDP, a key program securing farm-to-market links, was unable to utilize almost P4 billion due to excessive downloading of funds by support offices and slow disbursements.

The audit report also noted difficulties in moving projects forward due to the pandemic, leading to incomplete procurement documentation and delays in fund disbursement.