The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) today clarified that its poverty alleviation program Kapit-bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) has not received any Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) from the Commission on Audit (COA) for 2010 and 2011 project implementation in Region XI.
For 2012, KALAHI-CIDSS received an AOM pertaining to delayed and unliquidated cash advances for local travels of officials and employees in the region and not at all related to the bunkhouses project or KALAHI-CIDSS implementation, as earlier raised by June Sanchez-Obenza, a former KALAHI-CIDSS worker. The DSWD has responded to the AOM and mitigating measures are undertaken. Likewise, the DSWD and COA are in close coordination to better address this.
With the DSWD not having received any AOM from COA, the DSWD denies the accusations of Obenza, who said that there are alleged irregularities in the implementation of the program committed by other KALAHI-CIDSS workers and officials of DSWD Region XI.
Obenza, together with two other KALAHI-CIDSS workers whose employment contracts ended on December 31, 2012, accused two KALAHI-CIDSS workers of alleged falsification of documents and forging of signatures. She also accused Region XI Director Priscilla Razon and Human Resource Head Loreta Anas of dereliction of duty . Obenza filed on January 10 a grievance complaint regarding her non-renewal and some alleged questionable transactions of the regional office through the Grievance Redress System of KALAHI-CIDSS.
Contrary to Obenza’s claims that her issues were not acted upon by the Grievance Committee, a special investigation was conducted by the National Project Management Team at the Central office from January 14-18.
The DSWD is now validating the results of the investigation on Obenza’s grievance complaints and will expedite the resolution to finally shed light on the issues raised.
Likewise, the DSWD-Region XI committed to talk to Obenza and the two other former KALAHI-CIDSS workers regarding their employment contract.
Meanwhile, the DSWD-Region XI said that it already requested the COA to conduct special audit on the bunkhouses project. ###
