Badiangan blames weather, landslides for unspent disaster funds

ILOILO CITY — The municipal government of Badiangan, Iloilo, has blamed bad weather, unstable soil, and procurement hurdles for leaving most of its 2025 disaster fund unspent, according to its response to the Commission on Audit (COA).

The town’s explanation was included in COA’s 2025 annual audit report, which found that the local government used only PHP 6.512 million, or 27.38%, of its PHP 23.787 million Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF).

COA also flagged six projects worth PHP 4.422 million under the town’s 20% Development Fund (DF) that remained unimplemented at the end of 2025.

Town officials agreed to COA’s recommendations on both findings and said they had begun corrective measures.

Weather, landslides stalled projects

The local government said the low utilization of its disaster fund resulted from a combination of operational, environmental, administrative, and external factors.

It said unfavorable weather during the procurement period delayed a slope protection project and continued to hamper road improvement and other mitigation works.

Soil instability and landslides also disrupted ongoing construction, according to the municipality.

The improvement of the Municipal Evacuation Center, for instance, was suspended because unstable soil movement posed a risk of structural cracking.

The Poblacion-Cabangaan Road project, meanwhile, required a revised program of work after heavy rainfall caused road slips and landslides.

No calamity, no spending

The town said some allocations remained untouched because the events they were meant for did not happen.

Funds for post-disaster capacity building and for rehabilitation and recovery went unused because no major local calamity occurred that warranted the declaration of a state of calamity.

Allocations for financial assistance to other local government units (LGUs) were likewise not released because no other LGU declared a state of calamity or requested assistance.

The municipality also said it prioritized relief assistance from provincial and national government agencies instead of drawing from its own disaster funds.

Hiring, procurement hurdles

The local government said it could not hire a qualified technical person to conduct geohazard mapping and risk assessment, leaving the allocated funds unspent when the fiscal year ended.

The procurement of specialized rescue equipment also took longer because of the need to comply with technical specifications and because of extended lead times.

Unspent balances from previous years, including assistance originally intended for victims of Severe Tropical Storm Paeng in 2022, could not be used until the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council approved their realignment or reprogramming.

The same approval was needed for excess funds left over from completed projects, the town said.

In its implementation update as of August 2026, the municipality said the projects were still ongoing, with unfavorable weather and instances of failed bidding continuing to cause delays.

Management said it had instituted stronger planning, scheduling, and monitoring mechanisms to ensure more timely implementation of programs in line with Republic Act 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.

Development projects held up by standards, site issues

On the six unimplemented DF projects, the local government attributed the delays to initial planning deficiencies, administrative requirements, and the need to comply with technical standards before implementation.

One of the two projects carried over from previous years, a PHP 1 million information and communication technology equipment purchase for the Community-Based Monitoring System funded in 2023, had to be reprogrammed after the Philippine Statistics Authority took over the system’s implementation.

The other was deferred to 2026 because its proposed facilities and equipment had to meet technical standards set by the Department of Agriculture (DA), which required further coordination between the Municipal Engineering Office and the DA.

For the four projects funded in 2025, the town’s Engineer II gave state auditors specific reasons for each.

The PHP 500,000 perimeter enclosure for an open court was put off because the court was still being used for various activities. It is targeted for implementation in 2026.

The PHP 175,559 pathway concreting project in Ilongbukid will be carried out in the summer of 2026 because the pathway runs through a rice field.

The PHP 446,008 tourist rest area was funded only on Dec. 16, 2025, through a supplemental budget and is scheduled for bidding in 2026.

The PHP 1.3 million slope protection project at Calansanan Bridge will be reprogrammed.

In its comment on the audit, management acknowledged the finding and “recognized the importance of adhering to the provisions of items 3.2.1 and 3.2.3 of DBM-DOF-DILG JMC No. 1, which put emphasis on using the 20% DF effectively and efficiently to achieve socio-economic outcomes for our constituents.”

It added that it “is currently undertaking corrective measures to ensure the full implementation of the projects and is committed to strengthen the planning and execution processes to ensure the timely implementation of DF projects.”

The municipal mayor agreed to COA’s recommendations to expedite the stalled projects, fast-track the reprogramming of funds to other workable projects, and conduct periodic reviews of programs, projects, and activities.