Iloilo’s P6.5M sports meet hit audit snag

ILOILO CITY — The Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the regularity of more than P6.5 million in uniform and meal allowances for the 2024 Iloilo Province Varsity-Athletic meet, citing procurement violations, inconsistent distribution practices and inadequate documentation. In its 2025 audit report, COA flagged P3.312 million in uniform expenses and P3.238 million in meal allowances charged against the provincial government’s Special Education Fund for the sports meet held from September to October in 2024. Auditors found that playing jerseys were distributed through payrolls indicating cash allowance payments, although beneficiaries did not actually receive cash. Instead, the funds were used to purchase jerseys for participating athletes and delegates. COA said the arrangement effectively treated the purchase of physical goods as cash assistance, bypassing the procurement procedures required under Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act. The liquidated uniform expenses covered P1,000 per recipient across 46 public schools and 71 para games. COA said the use of signed payrolls instead of procurement documents, such as purchase requests, canvass sheets, contracts, delivery receipts and official supplier invoices, prevented auditors from independently verifying the jerseys’ actual cost, quality and price reasonableness. “The use of payrolls in lieu of procurement documentation precluded verification of the actual cost and reasonableness...