A Commission on Audit (COA) report on Caramoran’s 2024 transactions has found that two (2) completed infrastructure projects worth a total of ₱1,688,522.99 and funded under the 20% Development Fund (DF) were not fully operational.
The annual audit report for the year stated that this resulted to delayed enjoyment of project benefits or may lead eventually to wastage of government funds, it said.
An ocular inspection of the projects conducted by the audit team showed the two priority projects were already completed as of December 31, 2024 but not fully utilized.
One of the projects was the Construction of Potable Water System in barangay Dariao costing P1,489,621.43 and covering an underground water tank and three filtration tank units.
Records show that it was completed and formally accepted by the barangay through the Punong Barangay (PB) and a Barangay Kagawad on December 19, 2024.
However, the audit team observed during their visit on April 10, 2025 that the water system was not operational.
According to the village chief, the system was not fully utilized since the barangay’s budget for electricity was insufficient to cover the electricity costs required to operate the system.
He also added that the barangay has an alternative water source that sufficiently meets the constituents need for potable water.
The team also learned that the test report of microbiological analysis from a private laboratory released on December 16, 2024, showed a negative result for the water sample taken from the water system, indicating that the water was not safe for drinking.
However, the Municipal Engineering Office (MEO) upon inspection on December 18, 2024, reported the project as completed despite the fact that the water was not yet potable as required under the contract. Both the Municipal Accountant and Municipal Treasurer also expressed their objection in writing to the full payment of the project due to the non-delivery of a potable water system.
According to the COA, the project should not have been accepted considering that the contract terms on the potability of water was not faithfully complied with by the contractor.
On the other hand, the Improvement of Slaughterhouse at barangay Toytoy costing P198,901.50 involved the fabrication of movable steel working table with paint and plumbing works.
It was intended to make the slaughterhouse operationally ready, as it was constructed without any equipment or furniture, and has remained idle for quite some time now, the report said.
An ocular inspection by the auditors found three green-painted movable steel working tables inside the slaughterhouse but the faucets at the facility had no running water and the premises showed no signs of use or actual operation.
The Municipal Agriculturist (MA) told the team that despite the presence of power distribution lines leading to the facility, the building had no electricity at the time because the service provider did not complete the electrical installation.
A review of the documents indicated that instead of the agriculturist, it was the municipal mayor who accepted the project on August 12, 2024.
It was also discovered that the program of work did not specifically state the number of steel working tables to be fabricated and, instead, the scope indicated only one (1) lot movable steel working table with paint.
Completed on July 20, 2024, the project has remained idle or unutilized as of the April 2025 ocular
inspection, hence, the intended beneficiaries have been deprived of the benefits from the
project for almost nine months.
The delay in the full operation of the above-mentioned completed infrastructure projects can be attributed to several factors such as lapses in project planning and deficiencies in overall project supervision, the COA stressed.
In the reply of concerned municipal officials, it was disclosed that a retesting of the water confirmed that it already met potability standards per results issued on January 30, 2025.
In another significant finding, the COA found that repair works of the partially damaged seawall in Guiamlong were not undertaken by the contractor, as required under Section 62.2 of the Revised
Implementing Rules and Regulations (RIRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184.
The Repair and Extension of Seawall with a contract cost of ₱1,995,978.78 involved the repair of the existing seawall and construction of a 21.3 meter extension.
It was completed on October 8, 2024 but was damaged one-and-a-half month later by Super Typhoon Pepito on November 16, 2024.
The end of the seawall’s concrete facing collapsed, with large segments of the concrete breaking off and exposing the rubble core.
The inspection revealed that the core was filled with loosely packed boulders and lacked visible steel reinforcement while a piece of bamboo was embedded within the rubble core as part of the structure.
According to the government watchdog, the observations raised concern on the structural design, quality of materials used and workmanship of the completed seawall project which needs immediate repair and reinforcement to prevent further deterioration and ensure coastal protection in the area.
The COA team noted that the project was accepted by the Punong Barangay and Barangay Kagawad on November 15, 2024, a day before Super Typhoon Pepito hit the province, when government work was already suspended pursuant to PLGU Memorandum No. 296 s.2024 which was adopted by the Municipality.
Two local officials said that the payment for the retention fee for this project amounting to ₱199,597.88 has been put on hold, pending the contractor’s rectification of the damages.
The Municipal Engineer said that the contractor expressed willingness to repair the damaged structure at their own cost, however no action has been taken yet as of the time of the report.
“The damage could be attributed to poor workmanship, use of poor-quality materials and deficiencies in the structural design, which if not rectified may cause further damage to the structure to the disadvantage of the end-user or even loss or wastage of public funds,” the COA report emphasized, adding that the project was still under the defects-liability warranty period when it was damaged.
(to be continued)