Barotac Viejo seeks funds to finish idle health center

ILOILO CITY — The municipal government of Barotac Viejo, Iloilo, is looking for money to complete a Super Health Center that state auditors found unused, saying the national funds it received covered only part of the project.

Its responses are recorded in the Commission on Audit’s (COA) 2025 annual audit report on the municipality.

COA found that the facility, built with PHP 9,984,498.31 from the Department of Health (DOH), was non-functional during an inspection on May 4. The facility had been reported complete on Oct. 12, 2024.

Partial funding

Municipal officials told auditors that the PHP 10 million transfer under the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) covered only a portion of the project.

The total cost of a complete facility was estimated at about PHP 16.1 million under the full Program of Works, according to the report.

During the exit conference, the LGU said it is exploring alternative sources of funding to complete the project.

These include allotting PHP 4 million from the municipality’s 20% Development Fund or requesting the remaining PHP 6 million balance from the DOH.

Officials said the DOH conducted a series of inspections this year in connection with the municipality’s request for additional funding and was evaluating the request.

Weather cited for delays

Records cited in the report showed that the municipality issued three suspension orders during construction, citing inclement weather, Typhoon Butchoy, and Tropical Depression Carina. The orders added 52 calendar days to the project.

COA noted, however, that no reports from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) or equivalent documents were presented to support the suspensions.

The LGU also attributed delays in a separate water system project at San Juan Elementary School to adverse weather, including extreme heat. That project was funded by the Iloilo Provincial Government.

The water system was 62.87% complete as of May 15.

For a multipurpose building at the same school, the municipality said a 30-day extension was granted because of unfavorable weather. The building was completed on March 12, and its unexpended balance was refunded in April.

Municipal officials agreed to COA’s recommendation to direct concerned offices to identify and secure enough funding to complete and operationalize the Super Health Center.

They also agreed to ensure that projects endorsed to national and other local government agencies for funding are well-planned, procurement-ready, and implementation-ready, so they can be completed within the funds’ validity period.